From: James Burton [ [email protected] ]
Sent: 10 March 2010 09:55
To: Michelle
Subject: Re: Reply to your ad: Oxford Apartment
Thanks for your email response, i am so excited you are interested in my apartment which i am giving out for rent. Actually the apartment is still very much available for rent. I resided in the apartment with my only daughter melissa and my late father whom i inherited the apartment from,before i relocated to spain due to my new job offer at the university teaching Hospital in spain.
The Apartment is available for £440 per month, which i think is not too much, i just need someone with an open heart, love and clean to occupy the apartment and put off all my worries concerning the maintenance of the apartment since i am not residing there for now. As i told you earlier in the apartment listing.
The accomodation comprises of 1Bedroom, 1 Bathroom, 1 Reception room. The reception room is (17'0x16'0), kitchen breakfast room (13x11), bedroom (12'10x10'5), bathroom and a separate WC. Facilities and electonics like satellite TV which you have to pay for the subcription, and a sony DVD player, air conditioning, alarm system. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils, a refrigerator-freezer, four-hob and oven, microwave, dishwasher and washing machine. Also the keys to the apartment are right here with me, and the lease document Which i can send to you after all necessary agreement has be accepted. Also i will like you to know that the rent charges is not really the issue , but your absolute maintenance of the apartment, because that is the only valuable property my late father left behind, and it also took him so much time and money to put all those facilities in place, so i wouldn't want violation of my property if finally rented by you.
The Apartment is situated at Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 2EW, with allocated parking space.
I wait for your prompt response.
Thank You
James Burton
The thief will tell you that you can rent his accommodation only if you can prove that you have genuine interest. He will ask you send money by wire transfer (normally Western Union) to yourself or a member of the family to show that you have sufficient finances and that you are not a "time waster".
Another variation of this scam is that you need to send (by Western Union) money in order that the keys and other documents can be couriered to you
He will ask you to send him the transfer details.
Make no mistake ! Western Union Transfers can be picked up virtually anywhere in the world and with the minimum of identification. They are almost impossible to trace once the money has been collected. You will never get to see the accommodation or your money 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 Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment by Western Union 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.
