Room for Rent and other rental scams
#62352 by jackougne Tue Aug 16, 2011 11:02 am
Hi everybody,

Just wanted to post on my dear April Alison Lindsay, who has reappeared under [email protected] , after using [email protected].
She was proposing a flat at 54 bloomsbury st. in London for an attractive price, just like before. What's not so funny is the photocopy of the passport she gave me, which was on Alison April Lindsay's name and looked real.
By the way she was asking money via Moneygram and was sending the same emails that Jakub has reported in this topic earlier.

Good luck for your flatshare research, with all the scammers out there it's getting more and more difficult...
Advertisement

#62419 by Bubbles Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:47 pm
Welcome to ScamWarners jackougne. Thank you for posting this information. Do you have copies of the email messages you have received? That can help some people searching to see if it is a scamner they are dealing with.

I moved your post so it has it's own topic. :D

Bubbles, former Scamwarners moderator.

Rest in Peace 24 June 2015.

Gone, but never forgotten.
#65948 by fibo88 Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:39 pm
She also uses [email protected] as an alternativ address.

I asked for a passport and she also sent it to me including a bill of her gas expenses where her address was written on. This paper looks rather real. It already signed the contract and send the money. I intended to get to London in 2 weeks. But what I have seen here is like a nightmare for me. To get sure I asked for a meeting if she would accept. She did and I decided not to come as I trusted her.

She also sent the address of someone who had been there before ([email protected]).
#65969 by Bubbles Wed Sep 07, 2011 11:34 pm
Welcome to ScamWarners fibo88 . Please post up the early emails you received from this person. It is also helpful if you can post the headers from the emails you have received.

How did you make payment?

If it is a scam they will start making excuses about why they cannot fulfill their obligation or they will just go silent on you.

Bubbles, former Scamwarners moderator.

Rest in Peace 24 June 2015.

Gone, but never forgotten.
#66044 by fibo88 Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:19 am
The following mails were the beginning of our conversation. I sent the money to her "lawyer", normal bank account with IBAN and all that. But now I think this "lawyer" uses a foreign identity, that may be real.


Hello XX

Nice to read back from you and thanks for the interest....

I have read your profile and i liked it very much you seem to me to be a very nice and accommodating individual,i think we would get along well.

I'm a clean person. Always care about that nothing is missing in the flat and clean the mess I've done. I also switch off my lights, try to consume less energy if it can be done.

You won't have to worry about bills, I always pay on time, even before sometime.

I'm really enjoyable person, always happy and really easy to live with. I also like to have good time with my flatmates, having great discussion and fun, even hanging out if you like to.

I am also very discreet and can give you all the privacy you want.
I don't smoke, don't drink a lot (never drunk) and no drugs.

I'm curious and interested by lot of things so I'm sure we could find some good basis to have some good relations together.

I'd like to live with flatmates who are of course responsible, clean, pleasant, have no serious issues, are capable of communication, and all that good stuff. You know the drill!
Most important thing is that it's a pretty quiet, easy-going atmosphere with reasonably dependable and pleasant people

For me, a house is my sanctuary – a place where I can walk in my shorts, lie on a couch, drink a beer and watch the „LOST“. (and spend some quality time with my flatmate and close friends – not in shorts of course.

It's a place where I harbor from everyone and everything and enjoy my peace. Having people in the house? Well I still lack friends here so you don't need to be bothered with that but if you like to welcome your friends from time to time I have no problems with that.

I mean, we are sociable creatures after all, not eremites. I do, however, about me: ok so if you're still reading you probably want to know about me. i'm a female professional.

If you still want to know me about me let me know

My flat is Located : 54 Bloomsbury Street LONDON WC1B 3QT,The location is near-perfect - this is a very quiet and safe environment..The closest tube station to Bloomsbury, London is the Russell Square Tube Station.

No " included " and " inclusive " means the something . And as regards the rent , if you are interested in this room then i would need to put you through the necessary process of securing the room..and once you have done that you will then make the payment of the rent plus deposit .

Regards
April

PS. I work at paperchase.The company is a large professional services company based in London,specializing in Stationeries distributions to most of the big companies in the UK . Visit our website www.paperchase.co.uk



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Seeking a room for 8 month
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:28:07 +0200


Hi April Alison Lindsay (sorry, but what is your first name, could be everyone?),

I am Julian, born and still living in Berlin. I'm 22 and ... I read about council taxes? Is there any difference between included and inclusive?

Any more questions about me?

Kind Regards,



P.S. I would like to get more information about your job but I can wait until I will be there:)


From: Lindsay Alison April
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 12:53 PM

Subject: RE: Seeking a room for 8 month


Hello XX

My name is April Alison Lindsay , British citizen

I’m a respectful lady born in the UK . I work in financial services at a respectable company here in town. (I can explain the job in more detail if you want, but trust me, it doesn't get any more exciting.) Anyway, it’s full-time, stable, and I’m happy to show you the last months bill .

I am neat and clean, but not obsessive about it. I guess I have a
“you use it, you clean it” way of looking at things. I don’t smoke, and I don’t have
a pet but im pet friendly, I’m happy to chip in that i live alone in the flat at the
moment and im looking to rent out the vacant room.

So...there's that .....now about the Flat

WLAN internet facilities, Cable, A/C,Internet 24/7 etc included.
It has central heating
Brand New, Big, Queen-Size Sofa/Bed
26" Flat Screen TV
Laundry room in building ( washing machine, dryers)
Renovated, Fully fitted kitchen with fridge, washing machine & microwave and dishwasher.
Huge Walk-in Closet with Storage space on top

Answer to your questions :

I understand that you will be needing the room from September ,i can make the room available for you for the month of September .

The monthly rent is £500 Utilities included and Council tax inclusive and a security deposit of £600 for the room.The rent must be paid at the end of every month

Yes you can first rent the room for 2 months and then you can extend it if you like .

There are new bed sheets already in the room , so you don't have to worry about getting new ones

Let me know if you are interested so we can discuss more and kindly send me some details about you

Regards

April Lindsay
07024065787



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Seeking a room for 8 month
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:20:29 +0200


Hi,

it looks and sounds nice. Are there any more pictures from the flat and the other rooms?
You may have noticed that I am going to stay in London from 20. Sept. The ad instead offers up to 30. July!?
What about "fees for signing a contract"? When to pay each rent?
Is it possible to rent it for one or two month and get an option to enhance the stay?
Maybe a stupid question: Are bed clothes (not linen) already there?
Are there really 3 bathrooms?

Kind Regards,
#66047 by Katharina Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:34 am
It looks like the bank transfer was made months ago, so there is very little chance you can get your money back. If you want to give it a try, print out your email correspondence and show it to your bank. Good luck!

Could you please send me a PM with the details of the "lawyer's" bank account details? - Thanks!

07024065787
One of those notorious re-direct phone numbers. Like all numbers beginning with (+44)70 ...... it passes on your calls to anywhere in the world.
#66063 by fibo88 Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:37 am
A friend was at the address: you can ring at "flat1" and "flat2", but no April Alison!!!

So BEWARE. I should have come to visit. :cry:
#66064 by Lison Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:25 am
Fuck Fibo !!!!
I wrote about her in July on this website...If only you read it before... :'( ! I also answered to your private message.
Go to the police station in Holborn, and tell them your story and say it is the same as me. Tell them my name (removed - dotti) and say we came in july, we are french...I am sure they will recognize our story! And maybe if we are numerous, we could get our money back ! I also have all the bank details ! It is incredible they find nobody with it..Anyway... Let's do something ! We lost 2000€ because of "her" !!! :'(
#66078 by Katharina Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:21 am
Hi Lison, it's great you want to help! :=)

However, you shouldn't post your real name in public, we want you to be safe. Scammers sometimes read our forum.
Just use the PM button to send a message that can't be read by anyone.
#66080 by Dotti Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:28 am
And to all: take care of a person called "Denise McCarron". It is a real name as I sent the money to this person!


It might be a real name, but then again it might not. Plenty of criminals have opened bank accounts with fake ID.

If it is a real name, it may be a scammer, or it may be a victim. Scammers use victims to transfer payments very often. If a victim, it may be one who thinks she has a real job processing payments for a legitimate company (hop over to our job scams section to see how often that happens). It may also be a hooked romance victim who thinks she is helping her fiancee (who is undoubtedly pretending to be traveling or a solder stationed overseas) to collect debts/payments owed to him because he can't access his accounts.

Regardless of whether the account owner is victim or accomplice, reporting the crime is still important. By all means go to the police, and any other authority they recommend.

Can you also forward the emails you received to the address in my signature below? Either way, the use of the bank account in crimes must be stopped, and we have another means of reporting bank accounts used in fraud within the anti-scam community.

Need to post photos? http://scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=3219
Are you a victim of a romance scam? Read here for advice and FAQ's.
#66106 by Lison Thu Sep 08, 2011 2:30 pm
Hey !!

I posted my story on a topic called "Sarah Smith" in early august... i am sad Fibo got trapped whereas I wrote to warn everybody before he got trapped -__-

And yes, that's true for my name, but I gave a photocopy of my ID to this Alison/scammer so she can already use it to scam once again.. :'(

Anyway, good luck everybody, and BE CAREFUL !
#111609 by and1_jc Wed Jul 04, 2012 3:00 pm
Hey guys,

She is at it again, Im looking for somewhere in london, lucklily my english is, well um english so I can tell when something doesn't quite seem legit. said i wasnt going to hand over any money until I had seen the property and checked the legal side of stuff so I could do abit of researching. I will post below the email replies she sent and a picture of 'her' passport.

Sorry to hear all the people who sent her money, I know its harsh but seriously, be more careful, things like this shouldn't have to happen before people proceed with caution.

Good luck for the future.
Adam
###########################################################################################
"HER" PASSPORT
Image
The ROOM
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image





#####################################################################################

Hello Adam

I'm Alison April Lindsay , British born , laid back and
respectful lady , i have a fully furnished en suite bedroom
available for rent in my friendly flat-share .

A beautiful, very quiet and safe street making this a pleasant home.
Next to Lambs Conduit Street, a buzz of the village with independent
traders and restaurants .

The property comprises a bright open plan kitchen, Two good-sized
double bedrooms and bathroom with a shower all rooms bathed in natural
light. New carpets installed this week and flooring. Spacious property
with lots of windows and natural light.

Room :Double Room (4. 91m x 4. 77m)
A spacious grand deluxe room with huge modern wardrobes, double bed,
triple sofa, upstanding lamp, table, shelving,Dressed to impress.


Kitchen (3. 35m x 3. 33m) Comprises of full height fridge/freezer,
oven, hob, washing machine, microwave. Plenty of cupboards to store
cold and dry food with eating table with chairs.

Bathroom (3. 35m x 2. 40m) Light and airy, new flooring and modern
fixtures and fittings.

Store Room (2. 40m x 2. 10m) Perfect storage location for those bulky
items. A great luxury for central London.

Flat address : Argyle Street Kings Cross London WC1H 8EG,

The monthly rent is £550 bills inclusive and a security deposit of
£550 for the room.

Holborn Station / Central Line/ Piccadilly Line - 7 min walk away
Russell Square station Piccadilly lines - 5 min walk away

Northern/Circle/Piccadilly/Met ropolitan/Victoria - 10 min walk away

Covent garden & West end Theatres - 15 min walk away Local buses 2 to
5 min walking distance.

This would suit professionals or students, close to UCL and Great
Ormond street hospital.

Let me know if you are interested

Regards
Alison

##########################################################################################

Hello Adam

Nice to read back from you and thanks for the interest....

To me you seem to me to be a very nice and accommodating individual,i
think we would get along well.

I'm a clean person. Always care about that nothing is missing in the
flat and clean the mess I've done. I also switch off my lights, try to
consume less energy if it can be done.

You won't have to worry about bills, I always pay on time, even before sometime.

I'm really enjoyable person, always happy and really easy to live
with. I also like to have good time with my flatmates, having great
discussion and fun, even hanging out if you like to.

I am also very discreet and can give you all the privacy you want.
I don't smoke, don't drink a lot (never drunk) and no drugs.

I'm curious and interested by lot of things so I'm sure we could find
some good basis to have some good relations together.

I'd like to live with flatmates who are of course responsible, clean,
pleasant, have no serious issues, are capable of communication, and
all that good stuff. You know the drill!
Most important thing is that it's a pretty quiet, easy-going
atmosphere with reasonably dependable and pleasant people

For me, a house is my sanctuary – a place where I can walk in my
shorts, lie on a couch, drink a beer and watch the „LOST“. (and spend
some quality time with my flatmate and close friends – not in shorts
of course.

It's a place where I harbor from everyone and everything and enjoy my
peace. Having people in the house? Well I still lack friends here so
you don't need to be bothered with that but if you like to welcome
your friends from time to time I have no problems with that.

I mean, we are sociable creatures after all, not eremites. I do,
however, about me: ok so if you're still reading you probably want to
know about me. i'm a female professional.

I work in finance but have pretty steady hours from 8:30-5:30 (not a
lot of overtime yet). ..after work i like to either come home and
relax or go out with friends for drinks and dinner. i usually like to
unwind with my computer and itunes.... i'm not a big tv watcher but i
have a few guilty pleasures.

Regards Alison

#########################################################################################

Hello Adam

Nice to read from you and i have read about you and i think we are
going to be good flatmates .

A mid term is a stay longer than one month and under six months. Not
as restrictive as a six/twelve months lease but has more conditions
than a short-term contract.

For short terms, bills are still included and due to so many offers
you can make reservation for the room upfront so that there would
have been an agreement.

To secure and book the room we are discusing about

I'll would need your full contact details like your full name,full
contact address,date of birth,intended move in date,and any valid form
of identification to prepare the Lease Contract Document .

And as soon as it is ready i would send it across to you to go
through and if you are Okay with the terms and agreement then you will
sign it and resend me a copy for record purpose.

And as soon as the document has been signed you will proceed to make
the first month's rent plus the security deposit upfront via a legal
bank transfer to my lawyer so that i can keep the room safe for you
pending your arrival here , and the payment will be held in escrow by
my Lawyer pending your arrival . The rent starts to count on the day
you move in.


And as soon as the payment has been made you will be issued an
acknowledgment of payment receipt by my lawyer to certify that you
have made payment for the room and that you are legally renting the
room for the period of time stated on the contract document .

I hope to read back from you with the details if you are okay with this

Regards
Alison
#113891 by hsims2 Tue Jul 17, 2012 4:42 pm
WOW! i got a few emails from her too, i have just started a new job in central london and me being young and gullible replied to her emails, she contacted me through perfect flatmate .com i thought those things were fairly safe, exactly same message, but we have only exchanged two emails. its a good thing i'm a nosey bugger and googled her name. to be honest i had my suspicions when the postcode said WC1 and the price was £550, i hope no one actually fools for her tricks. i cannot believe there are people out there who would do this to people and not get caught by the police!!!
#120662 by trine Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:52 am
Hi,
Alison April Lindsay tried to scam me as well. What is very stupid is that i sent her a cop of my passport. I am afraid she will use it to scam others now. Anyone have a suggestion what I should do? Lucky for me I noticed the scam. It was all just to good to be true, but when she sent me the copy of her passport I believed her. It is hard to find an apartment when you are not able to actually go and look at it.


Anyway, the mail address she was using now was: [email protected]

Here is the mail that she sent me: Thanks for writting back to me , call me April . My full names are Alison April Lindsay

The flat belongs to my parents but they have passed away 3 years ago and i have been in charge of the flat since them witout any problems .

I am neat and clean, but not obsessive about it. I guess I have a
“you use it, you clean it” way of looking at things.

So...there's that .....now about the Flat

WLAN internet facilities, Cable, A/C,Internet 24/7 etc included.
It has central heating
26" Flat Screen TV
Laundry room in building ( washing machine, dryers)
Renovated, Fully fitted kitchen with fridge, washing machine & microwave and dishwasher.
Huge Walk-in Closet with Storage space on top
Renovated marble private bathroom with built-in underf-sink storage a mirror

Parking available....that's if you have a car

£600 PCM Utilities included and a deposit of £600.

There is a lease agreement to be signed if you want to rent the room .

Visitors are welcome ..but you will give me a week notice

11 Doughty Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 2PL

Looking forward to your reply

Kind Regards
April

Hope someone get this scammer!!!

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 66 guests