New kind of scam? From a new member...Any one seen this?

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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:29 pm

Ok So I live in Las Vegas and I recently started looking for a new place to live. I came across a post on craigslist for a reasonably priced 2 bed room apartment with some nice amenities. I figure what the hell and decide to inquire further about this locations availability. Here is a series of convoluted emails that compelled me to join this site finally...

1. I am almost 100% certain this is a scam
2. How do I proceed with torturing these people for what ever kind of garbage they are about to throw my way?

1st email
On 1/19/09:
Hi I am very interested in this apartment is it still available? I
also have a 6 year old 45lbs dog who is very well trained. I would
love to know more

Response:
Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hearing from you.My
name is Suzanne Lavallee the owner of the house you are making
enquiry of....Actually I resided in the house with my family,such as
me and my husband and my only daughter before and presently we had
packed due to my transfer from my husband working place and now
situated in united states and presently my house is still available
for rent including the utilities like hydro/heat dishwasher and
security and bills,Everything in the flat is well fully furnished.
More so Now,I went for a crusade in West Africa and i will like you to
get in touch with my husband in united states for more discussion as
my husband is with the keys and the document to the flat.Pls i want
you to note that,I am a kind and honest woman and also will spent a
lot on our property that will want to give you for rent,so will
solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and want you to
treat it as your own,is that taken,it is not the money the main
problem but want you to keep it tidy all the time so that will be glad
to see it neat when i came for a check up.i do that once in a while.I
also want you to let me have trust in you as I always stand on my
word.
Send my husband Williams an Immediate message, on
([email protected] ) and he will attends to you better on how
to proceed
Thanks and you are welcome
Regards
Rev Suzanne Lavallee

So right about here I figure this can not be real because this numb nuts has given me way to much information with regards to my original question. Then they proceeded to butcher the English in almost every sentence of the response. Begged me to know that she is and honest person with out integrity ever being called into question. As well as apparently having some strong missionary ties with west Africa. Now I may live in Vegas but I am no betting man, so how many possible strikes can one return email have against it. I responded to the "husband" and received a slightly better written e-mail in return

On 1/19/09, wrote:
Hi William<---notice I left off the (s)

I was just following up on this email I received from your wife. I am
interested in your property and would love to know more about it. I do
not need it furnished which may seem to be the case currently. (i.e. I
have my own furniture). I would be living alone in the apt but I do
have 1 well trained 5 year old dog.

looking forward to hearing from you

Reply:

Its very Nice to Read from you,My name is Williams Lavallee husband
of Rev Suzanne Lavallee owner of the 2 Bedroom flat for rent on 39 E
Agate Ave. #402, Las Vegas, NV that wants to be rented out,so we are
looking for a responsible person that can take Very Good care of the
flat..My wife in respect who owned the flat and I also want you to
know that it was due to my Missionary Transfer that made us to leave
the flat,so we want you to take very good care of it as we are not
after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at the time and
the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own.So for
now my wife is now at Dracut,Mass in United States of America,and more
also i am with the keys and documents of the flat,We try to look for
an agent or friends that we can give this Keys and document before we
left but could not see and we are as well as don't want our flat to be
used any how in our Absent that is why i brought the keys along with
me here.As you know that,am in West Africa for his Job is also
wanting a good tenant,so i hope you will promise us to take very good
care of the flat.

So pls get back to me on how you could take care of our flat or
perhaps experience you have in renting apartments, My wife how ever
told me that you spoke like a lovely person to him in the first e-mail
you wrote to her,Hope you are okay with the price of $700 aud per
month with utilities like :- Stove - Electric ,Refrigerator, Microwave
,Ice Maker ,Full Kitchen ,Coffee maker ,TV/VCR ,Stereo ,Phone ,Linens
provided ,High Speed Internet ,CD Player ,Cable/Satellite
TV,Double/twin zip & link beds and a child's cot can be provided
,Fitted wardrobe, Kitchen Electric hob/oven,Kitchen utensils
,Microwave ,Washer & dryer ,Refrigerator & freezer ,Toaster ,Electric
kettle ,Iron and ironing board ,TV & DVD ,Telephone and Fast internet
access ,Pedestal Fan ,Free parking.

I look forward to hearing from you asap so that I can forward you an
application to fill out and discuss on how to get the flat for rent...
Looking forward to hear from you soon.and below is the address of the
flat, So if you are ok with this pls request for an application form
in your next e-mail.I would be the one to call you once you have filed
out the application form..and also you could call him.....

Flat Address :39 E Agate Ave. #402, Las Vegas, NV
Rent :$700 aud per month
Security Deposit :- $300 aud Refundable once your leaving the Flat

Thanks,
Rev.Williams Lavallee.

Ok so how should I proceed to extract the maximum level of hilarity from this Venus fly trap of a craigslist ad ....

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/apa/995186494.html

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:38 pm

Welcome BANGO. Very Happy

I'll throw in the last bit of certainty. It's a common scam.

They are after a deposit from you. If you refuse to send money before seeing the imaginary apartment, they may ask you to send money to yourself or a close acquaintance via Western Union. They will ask you to send them the payment details so they can check it to know you have the money. They will then use the payment information to pickup the money before you can reclaim it.

As far as baiting it, these tend to be short lived since they going for a quick score, and will move on to the next email if they don't think you're going to come through. You can have some fun asking lots of questions about the flat, or you can use some of the fun MTCN stalls you've probably read about here. If you're looking for a longer bait with trophies, etc. then you'll need to try to get them off script.

If you have given them any information that traces back to your real identity, you should drop it and pick it up again from a safe account.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:38 pm

Welcome here, you found yourself a pure advance fee scam, they're going to need a deposit, a first month rent, a last month rent, a deposit for the utilities, a small fee for the left behind magnificent furniture, a small deposit for the 60" flat screen they couldn't take, etc. And all before you ever get to see the apartment of course. If it exists you'll find some people there that have no clue you want their place as you paid for it already Wink

What you did wrong Confused

They have your own info, they know who you are and how to get to you so when they get angry(and that's part of the game) they might come after you. Small chance, but you do use your seat belt in the car too, eh Wink

Read lots, start with the eater Uni and the stickies, ask for a mentor if you think you need one and try it again from a safe addy. Nothing lost, we got lots of those Laughing

Have fun, but bait SAFE

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:58 pm

Are we allowed to have a go at this guy Bango? Very Happy

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:05 pm

101% scam. See http://forum.gumtree.com.au/post-3242.html for a UK "missionary" who used many of the same phrases as your lad.
"Williams" isn't a Anglo-Saxon first name either. West African lads are bad at inventing plausible names.

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:39 pm

Anyone feel free to step to the plate on this one...as long as you post the results here. The problem is he already now has my main e-mail account so I am hesitant to really push it too much from this e-mail. Anybody wanna play as Raoul Duke my newly found real estate counsel. Maybe we could offer to buy the property outright. They are indeed condos. I have driven by them

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 6:26 pm

the email can be saved, put him on your spam list and you'll never hear from him again.
Open a new email account(addy in eaters Wink

) with Hushmail-Gmail-Fastmail and send your emails online, not through MS outlook or other mail programs installed on your computer. Use fake details/info only to set that new addy up.
Read in the eater UNI forum up on relevant chapters and you're off, if... we help, fast and with many options so you can play your own game. Wink

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:00 am

I had no idea this was such a prominent scam till now...here is a completely separate craigslist e-mail reply...

Thanks for your email an interest in renting our home,we are small christian family and we are into Gospel Music and currently we are on tour around Europe and Africa to raise funds to supports the Less Priviliage,poeple living with HIV/AIDS,Poor,and the Needy.

We need a clean responsible person that we can trust to take a proper care of the home at all time because we will be spending a long time around the world and also we intend to relocate immediately when we come back.Utilities are included in the rent.Below is the rental application please fill it and get back to me ASAP if you are interested renting our home..

RENTAL APPLICATION
Pls let me get this answer.
1) Your Full Name:
2) Your Full Address & Phone Number:
3) How old are you?
4) Are you married?
5) How many people will be living in the house?
6) Do you have a pet?
7) Do you have a car?
8)Occupation?
9) Our prefer method of payment? Western Union or Money Gram?
10) When do you intend moving in?

Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that I can have it in my file incase of issuing the receipt for you and contacting
you. Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the keys of the house to you. We are giving you all this base on trust and again i will want you to stick to your words, you know that, we do not see yet and only putting everything into God's hand, so please do not let us down with our property and God bless you more as you do this.
Regards.

N:B:please note this that you cant go inside the house because the keys are right here with us but feel free to go view the exterior of the house and upon approval the keys will be send to you.

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jan 2009 Posts: 1440

Quote:

Security Deposit :- $300 aud

Someone living in the US wants to get paid in Australian dollars? Confused

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:23 am

VERY odd, considering the exchange rate of $1 us = 65c oz. Laughing

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