by Michelle
From: Roberto Virgili <[email protected]>This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union, MoneyGram, pre-paid credit card or bank transfer with a promise that you can have the keys to a property that does not belong to him.
Subject: Re: house
Hello,
Thanks for your reply. Just a few more info. The whole apartment is for 1250 euro per month including all bills. I am asking for the first month's rent payment plus 1250 euro as security deposit, it's 2500 euro in total. The security deposit is refundable. Equal size-2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen and 1 bathroom, washer/dryer in unit, dishwasher, internet, safe neighborhood, very quiet, no noise, close to transportation and everything else. It's fully furnished. The length of the lease is flexible: long/short term. I have to tell you that i am living in Rome, Italy, I come to Ireland every 6 months for 3 or 4 days and if you rent the apartment i will stay to a hotel.
I am willing to send you the keys so you can visit it and see it suits your needs. The delivery for the keys and viewing permit (signed by me), will be made with Airbnb ( www.airbnb.com ) to make sure that we can trust each other , is a safe and fast company. They will handle both payment and delivery of the Keys.
If you are interested I can explain you the procedure , so I wait news from your side because I really need to take care of this matter.
Best Regards
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.
