Holiday letting scam

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 3

I have a holiday let and advertise with several sites. This is an email enquiry I received through one of the sites. This person was very persistant even though I told him we did not do monthly lets!

Quote:

"Name: Andy
Email: [email protected]
Group size: Adults: 2 Children:
Requesting availability: arriving on 1 Apr 2007 and leaving on 29 Apr 2007

Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm Mr Andy Nicola,I'm From Canada,Well my 2 beautifull twins Daugters will love to spent there Vacation period in your apartment for 1 month,starting from 1st April Until 30th April 2007,so i will be very happy to no if the apartment will be available for the date i required for which is 1st April Until 30th April 2007,and also i will be very glad to have the total cost 1 months rental,Well just to tell you that I'm very much interested in renting your apartment for my 2 beautifull twins Daugters,Well like have said before that they will be starting the rental by 1st April Until 30th April 2007,Well i will like to inform you now that i've booked down for some thing that they will be using in the apartment,like Cloths,shoes and some other enpensive things that ladies do need for there taking care of,Well the total cost for there expensice i booked down for cost �4,000,so i will want there package i booked down for to be shipped down to the apartment before they arrive to the apartment,so you will help them to collect the package before they arrive to the apartment,so please let me know if you will be able to collect the package for them,Well now comcerning the rental,like have said that they will be rentting you apartmen for 1 month,so please let me have the total cost for the 1 month rental ok,i will needs to know more about the apartment you have for rent,also,Plz do not hesitate to ask any question,Well also they are non smoking and they are bringing no pets to the apartment,Well i will be willing to know the total cost for the 1 month rents,Well plz email me with the full datails of your apartment,Well i really love my 2 beautifull twins Daugters,they insisted on there own that they are willing to spent there holiday in your apartment in UK cos they've never been in Uk before,Well hope to hear from you sooner with the total cost for the 1 month rental ok.
Best Wishes.
Mr Andy.
Or if the apartment is not free for the date i required,do let me have another date that it will be free for 1 month rent ok."

What made me suspicious is that he wanted to have a
"Package" delivered for his "daughters". I told him we did not do monthly lets and he then enquired about a shorter period. I gave him some available dates, and then and there he wanted to arrange shipment of this package and wanted me to arrange for it to be picked up and to pick his "daughters" up from the airport. I ignored this request and have heard nothing more from him.

BUT I have had an email from an internet company in Canada thanking me for my order to have the internet installed at my address ( in Canada!!! - where I DON'T live). I suspect that the scammer who tried to rent my house used my email address to order the internet installation from this company in Canada!

Any suggestions?

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:49 am

Why not tell him this house has fallen down etc but offer him a difrent one.
Make up the address see if you can waste a bit of his time.
Or just pass on his details and im sure someone on here will toy with him for you.

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:09 pm

ONE - reply to the internet company and tell them that you have not ordered any such installation and that any such instruction purporting to be received from you must be deemed too be fraudulent, and you accept no responsibility for any costs or charges. Add that you would presume that any credit or financial checks they have made will have already made them aware of this.

TWO - do not correspond any further with this scammer who appears to be suffering from some form of dementia and short term memory loss, judging by the repetition in his e-mail.

THREE - you can't bait him yourself as he has too much information about you, but you may, if you wish, supply his e-mail here for people to give him some grief - though if he just scams off particular adverts this may not be so straightforward.

FOUR - edit your original post to make your own e-mail addy [email protected] as we cannot be sure that scammers don't sometimes pass by.

My motto is - safety first - damage second and fun all the time.

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:14 pm

My brother in law was just telling me about this kinda scam letter he got before. They own a holiday home and someone wrote to them saying he represented a group of russian delegates who wanted to rent out the property for a month and would pay 3000. They would pay 1 month in advance but their chaufeur need to e paid 5000 and asked if my brother in law could send over the 5000 and then add it to their bill at the end of their stay. He emailed back "F*ck off"

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 3

Hi Everyone,

The plot thickens here is a copy of another email I sent to this person and his reply. Anyone want to join in the baiting?

MY EMAIL
"Dear Andy,

Sorry I have not replied to your last email. Unfortunately we have now sold XXXXXXX and have purchased another rental property.

This is called Fools Paradise and is in Ireland. This property will be available for the whole month of April. If you wish to rent this as before the cost for the whole month will be �1000,000.00 with a 50% deposit up front. My bank is in Nigeria so you would have to get funds transferred there.

I look forward to hearing from you.

FOOLS PARADISE SELF CATERING

REPLY
"Hello,
Thanks for the mail,Well i'm ok with the total cost for the 1 month rental and also i'm very glad that you have confirm the rantal and my arrival date aswell which is 1st April until April 29th 2007,Well now i will need to know if you will be able to pick me and my wife up from the airport on the day of our arrival,or i hired a taxi to the apartment direct,Well please do let me know,Well like have said in my first mail that me and my wife will be buying a Laptops that we will be using in the apartment during our stay,now i've been able to booked down the laptops that we will be using in the apartment its 2 laptops the total cost for the laptops is �3000,Well the laptops will be shipped to the apartment before we arrive,So you help us collect them,i hope you will be able to collect them for us before we arrive?Well now concerning the payment for the rental i will love to pay for the whole 3 months rental now before we arrive to the apartment i hope this ok,Well i will love to make payment by cheque sent to you direct,Well i will be willing to pay for the apartment rental first before paying for the 2 laptops,so i will be sending you the payment for the laptops and for the apartment rental as well,so i will be making a cheque of (�4000) sent to you,Well you will be helping me sending the remaning 5,000euro to the laptops company as soon as you have been able to recieved the cheque,i'm trusting you to do this for me b'cos i'm feel it in my spirit mind that i can count on you,so i will be needing some information concerning the payment for the rental,So please get back to me with your (FULL NAME,ADDRESS & PHONE NUMBER) so that i will be able to make a cheque for the rental sent to you for before i arrive,Well i looked forward hearing from you today with the information i ask for ok.
Best Wishes.
Mr Andy.

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:26 am

^^^^

I wouldn't try to bait him yourself from your original address because he must surely have some of your real details if he was responding to a different ad. If you want to bait him set up a seperate baiter email account and just email him as if you are someone else entirely whose ad he has responded to. He won't remember who he emailed and chances are he'll respond.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 3

Thanks. I am using a different email address from the original

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:52 am

A year or so ago I read a lot about this kind of thing in the US. Cheque sent for rental of an apartment (in a hugh turnover high rate area), the renter overpays and the landlord sends the balance back. Renters first cheque bounces higher than the Empire State Building, scammer pockets balance.

The paying for the laptops sounds like a variation on the same theme, but I do like it. If you would PM some details I would love to get involved.

Cheers.

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:08 pm

Hi Chilly. It's definatley a cheque mule scam. Now you did say that your using a new email addy, so thats good. I gather then you are baiting from a new persona. Which is really great.
I can't stand reading the letters they are so whiney Crying or Very sad

I think you might have a real dumbass as there. AS long as youv'e seperated yourself from the bait have fun.

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 2922

chillycheddar wrote:

MY EMAIL
"Dear Andy,

Sorry I have not replied to your last email. Unfortunately we have now sold XXXXXXX and have purchased another rental property.

If you have sold the original and now have a new rental, irrespective of what email addy you are using, that to me links the same person!!!

and when do lads ever notice email changes from us...

Or am i missing something???

Confused