Rental Scammer - [email protected]

"Comfy Homes" <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi
Thanks for your interest in my property and It's a private property and nothing to share with anybody. the property is very much available,Apartment is newly furnished and Smelling Fresh clean with no damages,pet friendly and it is an open end lease and the street parking doesn't need a permit.The address is 848 17th St Santa Monica, CA

Price per month : $2500 (Utilities Included)
Security Deposit : $400 (100% Refundable On check out date)
Deposit: First Month Apartment rent plus the security Deposit

Let me know if there is anything you would like to know about the home.
Phone : 213 537 6991
Thanks.

This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union, MoneyGram or bank transfer with a promise that you can have the keys to a property that does not belong to him.

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 lawyer,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.

All the details such as names, addresses, pictures etc. that the scammer uses in order to back up his story, are stolen from elsewhere.

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.

He is still working this scam by posting on craigslist and using gmail accounts.
His website is www.platinumrentalsllc.com
emails are [email protected] ; [email protected] plus many more.
His phone number is still the same 213-537-6991
Goes by the name George Alva and has probably changed it again.

I have a fundme account where I asked for a work from home job, as I am disabled.
Unfortunately he found me. All I had to do was re-post ads to craigslist and instructed to relist them every 48 hours..forever! and he would pay me $1200. a month. Then after a few weeks he told my he had to go to the UK on business and I would have to take over for him as I was his assistant. But I would have to send my resume again and my Drivers licence to his main company, which he never mentioned before. Too Many RED FLAGS went up and I quit!
His only contact with me were through TEXT MESSAGES and emails.
Thanks to the person that wrote the first Scam Report on this phone number that confirmed my doubts on him.