renting house, need advice.. UPDATED! now with email correspondance!

FortFunFoSho

Golden Member
Mar 7, 2002
1,101
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Background: House was listed on Craigslist and this lady inquires. I am curious how to do a background check and verify this individual at this point I am leaning towards some of the other people looking at the house.

Ok first e-mail I received from her:

Hello,
In responce to your Apartment for rent. My company is posting me to the states on an official assignment in JUNE. I will like to rent your Home for the period i will be staying in US. Pls do give me the following information.
1.A brief discription of the Home
2.Monthly rent and deposit
3.The address of the Home
4. Pictures of the interior areas of the house
I will be staying in the Apartment for a year pls do send the total charges for this period and the initial deposit required of me to pay before moving in.Pls do let me know if you will accept cashier's check as payment.I will be waiting for your responce on this.Hope to hear from you in earnest
XXX XXXXX.


Then I responded answering her questions. Also, trying to find out what she is doing here. Then I get this e-mail:

Hello,
Thanks for the quick response. I will be gladly like to inform you that my organiser after much agreed to pay the requested amount of {$1400 PAYMENT FOR THE FIRST MONTH RENT AND ITS DEPOSIT STARTING FROM MY MOVING IN DATE WHICH WILL BE ON THE 5TH OF JUNE} and my staying will be for a year,which will also be paid on the first of every month.Also it might be of your interest to know that a check will be issued to you in an excess amount,in which after you might have deduct your original amount will be sent to me via western union transfer.The excess amount is meant for my travelling allowance,feeding and other expenses.kindly get back to me with the underlisted information so that the payment can be issued out asap.
NAME ON CASHIERS CHECK
FULL CONTACT ADDRESS
HOME PHONE NUMBER
MOBILE PHONE NUMBER
Also i will be moving
into the apartment on 5TH OF JUNE and will be very hono ured if you could furnish me with the required details so that we can proceed on payment.I am coming from the uk, England. am 24yrs and i studied fine and creative art from the LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY which i have graduated,here is my present address below.. 29 BASILDON ROAD ABBY WOOD, LONDON SE2 0EP united kingdom.i await the details.cheers
XXX XXXXX


So now I respond with some more direct questions:

XXX?

Sounds like you are very interested. Typically when a house is rented in the US there are a couple of things that are taken care of in person, however we do not have that luxury. Therefore I need to ask these via e-mail.

What brings you to the US?
What will you be doing all year? And who is your organizer?
Will you be living by yourself?
Will you have any pets?
Could you provide some references in the form of e-mail and phone in which I could contact to verify a couple of things?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just wanted to try and get a sense of who will be renting the house.

Thanks again and look forward to hearing back from you!

Sincerely,


And she shoots back this:

Hello,
As i told you in my previous email,that NEW DAWN MODELING INC ,a fashio modlling outfit ,is th company i am working for as a fashion modeller and we have an exibition to showcase in the states for a year and that is why am coming over.Here under is the employes address in the U.K;
NEW DAWN MODELLING INC
26 ,TOYCE AVE,
KENT,
U.K
DA 18 2YA
Presently i do not know how the exibiton will go in the states,as there is no particular address ,as we will be working on contract.and all you explanation and here under is the information you requested;
1.Name;Alli Mogan
2.Present Address; (number edited - but it did show up on google maps)BASILDON ROAD ABBY WOOD, LONDON SE2 0EP
3.Phone; - edited.
4.Date of birth;03-07.1981
5.Passpot number; edited.
EMPLOYMENT INFO
1.Name of company; New Dawn Modelling Inc
2.Position; Modeller
And pls do get back to me your full name and address you went the payment sent to you thank's.
XXXX XXXXXX


What do you think?



 

jupiter57

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2001
4,600
3
71
Forged or fake cashiers checks, Money Orders, etc. can, and usually do, take several weeks to be discovered as fake.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
Staff member
Oct 30, 2000
42,589
5
0
Once the cashiers check arrives, contact the issuer to ensure that it is valid.

Also, get credit check if desired.

Many times; just the security deposit should work, if you can monitor the situation.

How did you connect with them?
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Originally posted by: FortFunFoSho
Craigslist ad. The thing is that it is an individual from another country.

Is he sending a $10,000 check for a $2000 bill? :p
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,260
14,690
146
Definitely sounds like a scam to me...but then again, I don't trust thm "furiners" very far...especially in transavtions like this. Tell him that since he's from out of the country, you'd prefer to receive a wire transfer to cover your interests.
 

FortFunFoSho

Golden Member
Mar 7, 2002
1,101
0
0
This individual is from the UK. She has now agreed to my asking price and deposit and has told me that she will take the house. I will receive a check each month.
 

MrBond

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2000
9,911
0
76
If you don't mind posting it here, you should post an email you got from her (maybe edit out identifyable info). If you're not familiar with the way scam emails look, lots of people here are and can possibly help you from being scammed.

The most important thing is to never send money out of the country as a result of an overpayment. IE: Rent is $500, they mail you $1000, and ask for the difference back. You'll find out too late that the first payment was fake and end up sending $500 of your own money, which you can't get back.

It sounds strange that someone might scam you over renting a house, but I've heard it done before. Craigslist invites this type of fraud.
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
What are the eviction laws like where you live? It's conceivable that she and 45 of her crack addicted relatives are going to move in and trash the place...
 

jupiter57

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2001
4,600
3
71
SCAM, SCAM, SCAM!!!
Never, ever, accept more than the total and send some back!
That is an old, old, scam.

(This in reference to your latest edit.)
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
OK, since obviously this has fooled you enough to think it might be real, I have to ask what made you think it's legitimate? The extra money, or the fake address, or having to send money back to "her"?
 

FortFunFoSho

Golden Member
Mar 7, 2002
1,101
0
0
Man, getting pounced on here. It all unfolded in the last 24 hours. As I am new to renting a home this is not a scam I am familiar with.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
Originally posted by: FortFunFoSho
Man, getting pounced on here. It all unfolded in the last 24 hours. As I am new to renting a home this is not a scam I am familiar with.

This is the same scam that has been happening for years when you sell stuff on Craigslist.
 

gigapet

Lifer
Aug 9, 2001
10,005
0
76
If you really want to trhwo them off tell them to wire transfer you the exact amount at HSBC which has branch offices in the UK and in the US. That it would be much faster and easier for everyone. Ask for her acct number so you can authorize the transactino with your bank here.
 

MrBond

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2000
9,911
0
76
It is kind of unusual to be scammed for renting a house like this. I mean, on the face of it (not knowing the scammer wanted him to wire the extra money back), he doesn't have anything to lose - it's not like he's shipping the house over there or giving him the deed. I saw on another forum I read where a guy had a scammer contact him about renting a house he had placed on Craigslist, which red-flagged this thread.

Sending an overpayment back is ALWAYS a scam though, no matter how you see it.

The scammers don't care what they're buying in this case. I read one case where a scammer was going to do the same thing, only with puppies.

I should put up a listing on Craigslist for a load of manure and see how long it takes the scam emails to come in.