Rental Scammer - [email protected]>

From: Allen Mccathy <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, May 27, 2011 at 11:11
Subject: Re: 3br apt
To: Con Warner


Hello Applicant,

Thank you for inquiring about my house which you saw on Craigslist. It is my pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your email regarding my posting and its content well understood. Please pardon me for not stating my name on the ad, I am Allen Mccathy.,owner of the house. I seldom lived in the house as my ministerial duties always got me from one Country/Continent to another frequently but once around i loved to stay indoors to fully enjoy and experience the full comfort of my home, I am also a lover of beauty and from the pictures you saw on the posting, you would see how clean i have kept it as you also know "CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS"

At present we are in Africa, Nigeria to be precise.We were invited over by a highly rated Bishop in Nigeria, in the person of Bishop (Mrs.) Margret Benson Idahosa, wife of the Late Arch Bishop Eda Idahosa, the founder of the Church of God Mission int'l, who was a friend and a Christian father untill his demise. She expressed over the mail which she sent to me stating that since the death of her husband some ministers that he left behind decided to start up their own ministries and she was no longer able to carry the ministry her husband left behind which she also vowed to keep alive all alone which is why she needs our help as close friends and ministers of God. I would enlighten more on it as we proceed because i don't think i would be returning to the States until we are able to restore the church of God to it's past glory but not so sure as of now because i will be working here with the Bishop directly together with the rest of the ministerial team in order achieve this goal in no distant time.

As soon as we got the mail sent to us by Bishop (Mrs.) Margret and understanding it's urgency, we couldn't wait any second longer before responding to her call and since we had nobody in the states to look after the property in our absence, the only thing that came to my mind was to sell off the property so i decided to contact the realty company from which we purchased it telling them of the urgency of my situation and that they should contact me if anyone showed interest in buying the house once we were away but after we arrived Nigeria, my wife came up with the idea of renting out the property other than sell it off as she always thought of it and like i told you, we have barely lived in it and still love it a great deal which is why we are handling the rental process ourselves from here.

Back to the lease, the house is $750 per month with a security deposit $750.I believe it will be an absolutely perfect home for you and your family. Utilities include Water, Trash, Sewer, Gas etc..

For now, you can only drive by the house but can't have a look at the interior except through the windows until i have sent the keys and documents of the house to you. Reason because, like i mentioned earlier, i barely got a full month in the house due to ministerial calls so i didn't know anyone to drop the keys with as my call down here was so sudden ,i do hope you understand.

PLEASE NOTE THAT A DEPOSIT($750) WILL BE REQUIRED IF ACCEPTED TO TAKE THIS HOUSE

To further proceed with the Lease, kindly fill in the form below with its appropriate information as it will be filed as a contract.

RENT APPLICATION FORM.

FIRST NAME:__________
MIDDLE NAME:__________
LAST NAME:__________
PROFESSION:__________
PHONE: _______________
(CELL)PHONE__________
(WORK)PHONE__________
(HOME)PHONE__________
ARE YOU MARRIED: __________
KIDS _____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY ________
PRESENT ADDRESS: _____________________
CITY: _______________
STATE:______________
ZIP CODE: ____________
HOW LONG ___________IF RENTING
WHY ARE YOU LEAVING__________
IF THIS HOUSE IS BEING GIVEN TO YOU,HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING ____________
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN ______________
IF YOU HAVE A PET: _________
NAME OF PET: _____________
KIND OF PETS: _____________
HABITS: ___________
DO YOU SMOKE ______________
DO YOU DRINK ______________
DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT ____
HOW SOON CAN YOU MAKE THE MOVE IN DEPOSIT ($750) REQUIRED: ____________
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU WISH TO RECEIVE THE KEYS AND DOCUMENTS OF THE HOUSE: _______________

The house will be available for rent for a long time so you have a choice of deciding how long you intend staying there.. Here is my number +234-803-257-2901 Or ,I will be expecting to hear from you.

Feel free to call me for more information and arrangements.
God Bless,
Allen Mccathy.
011-234-803-257-2901.

This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union or MoneyGram with a promise that he will send the keys through a courier company.

Sounds safe. It's not!

At other times, he will ask for proof that you are able to pay the deposit and rent due to a string of time wasters.
This proof is in the form of a Western Union or MoneyGram payment to a friend or family member.

In either case, if payment is made and you give this person the details, they will collect the money.
You will not hear from them again.

If you are reading this because you are looking for property to rent, and you are in contact with this thief you are probably searching Craigslist, Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment before viewing, then it will also be a scam. Please forward the mail to me at the address in my signature line and I will investigate and list them if necessary.