My friend listed an apartment for rent on Craigslist. She received this LONG reply (I have chopped off the last half). What is the scam here? I assume it will come when we were to get to the deposit and they want our bank info or something...

Here is the e-mail we got:


Hi There,

How re you doing? I hope all is well. I'm Sandra Martinez, am 26 yrs old and Am originally from Barcelona, Spain . Graduate of Huelva University on the Costa de la Luz ,

I have a master degree in interior fashion and I work as a professional fashion designer. I moved to , AZ two year ago for work and that's where am living. I'm am not in the states right now, i am presently in West Africa .

I am currently working on contract for a company call (African Family Home Fashions) here in West Africa ( Nigeria ) which the contract will be ending soon. I will be returning to the states in two weeks time and I don't want to go back to my where am living in because my house rent has expired there.

I enjoy traveling, It is very interesting to get more knowledge about the new countries, new people and traditions. It's great to have such a possibility. As i was searching through the web i saw the advert of your room. I would like to know maybe it's still available because I'm extremely interested in it. Here are the questions i would like to know about the room before planing to move in to the following questions below:

A}I will like to know the major intersection nearest your neighborhood.like shopping mall,Churches,bus line e.t.c

B}I will like to know the total cost for the my initial move as in first month rent and if you accept deposit.
C}I will like to know if there is any garage or parking space cos I will have my own car come over.

D}I will like to have the rent fee per month plus the utilities.
E}I will like to have the description of the room, size, and the equipments in there.

F}I will also like to know Your payment mode.
G}I will like to know if I can make an advance payment ahead my arrival that will be stand as a kind of commitment that I am truly coming over and for you to hold the room down for me. I will be very glad to have all this questions answered with out leaving a stone unturned...

Now a little about myself;I am from Barcelona, Spain : that means i am Spanish and had all my education in Spain . I am 26yrs old and very much single,the only child of my only parent, my mother alive, i lost my father and my only brother years ago while i was still a kid in an auto accident.I am currently living with my mom who's a catholic volunteer worker,but also manages her antique business. She is a volunteer at the sister's of the eucharistic heart of jesus convent,here in Barcelona , Spain . I have been wanted to relocated to the US longtime ago even while i was a little girl growing up and my mom is in support.It' been a long dreamed come true for me when i finally settled in the US now. I have chosen your city for me to live when i arrive.

Then another 5 paragraphs about her alleged life story...

Also received this reply allegedly from the UK:

Hello,
I will be relocating to your city for a year on an official assignment.
On search, I came across your listing, and I would really like to have more
details about it.
If it is still available, kindly send detailed information and pictures to my email
box so I can have a better idea of the Apt. Furthermore, it will be better sending
me the exact fee to be paid monthly including the security deposit (if required).
And your contact phone number (if you've got any) so we can talk better about it
over the phone.
Cheers
Derek

Also received 3 OTHER replies from the UK. So that is 5 total replies, 4 from the UK and the one from Nigeria.

Is this a common scam?

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

cash4gold.com

what?

WTF? Have you turned into a spammer?

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

nah..im just adding more scammy things to a scam thread

[Is this a common scam?[/quote]

With the data you provide in the letter, I can steal your identity. What I don't get that way, I get using association techniques in the phone conversation.

How's that for an answer?

Or as the French say" Ca vous creve les yeux." It's so obvious it's pokin' your eyes out.

Now there are people who belong to a club that purposely strings these scammers along, but you have to understand if you give them any real data they can come after you. So, buy a Trac Phone, put 50.00 cash calls on it and have fun if you dare. Check out one of the anti-scammer websites first and get some professional advice. Change your name and nationality, tell them that someone gave the letter to you because they weren't interested and you found it FASCINATING...

Or shred the letters and go on with life.



"Well," said the dervish, "the answer is ' Well.' "

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

They usually send you a "Cashiers" check.
(Which any 9 year old with an inkjet printer can run off,with quality so good
even the bank can't tell it bogus)

The check will be for an overage amount (I.E. they "OWE" you $500.00...
the check will be for $800.00) They want you to deposit the check and
wire them the overage amount...6 weeks later the check bounces and
you're left holding the bag.

If they can't appear in person...Y'all can't do business with them.

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

Thanks! I figured that was the way it would go. Most of the emails were short but that one went on and on and on..... Of course Nigeria was a clue...

I can post all their emails if you all would like to say hello...

__________________
1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Have them PayPal you funds and see if they'll do it.

__________________
1993 300E 2.8 185k miles
2006 Mustang Convertible 4.0 Eaton Supercharged

Don't waste your time. Its a scam. No doubt about it. I get three or four a year wanting to "rent" one of my units. I even had one send me a check unsolicited for more than the rent. I tossed the check.

You'll make better use of your time sitting at home and scratching your a$$.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

This is why I don't like craigslist its all scammers!

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

How about your friend simply adding a line to their listing:

“Apartment available to current US residents only.”

Edit:
As well as perhaps:

“Current and previous residence references required.”

__________________
1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Scammers don't actually read the ads. They just send it to every single ad on there so it does not matter what you put in the ad, you will still get scammers no matter what.

The good thing is that they are always easy to pick out from the real replies. Then they go straight to the trash.

__________________
2009 ML320 Bluetec
1985 300CD
1981 300TD

Past Mercedes
1979 300TD
1982 300TD
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1998 E430
1984 300SD
1980 300SD

I agree 100%.

It seems however, that perhaps his friend may be focusing more on these replies than you and I would.

My suggestion(s) is only to aide in determining which replies can go "straight to the trash" without further attention of any sort.

i.e. If they can’t (or as you correctly referred to: “…don’t actually…” ) read and understand the ad, then trash them and move on. No need to concern yourself with possible scam issues at all.

If nothing else, it may/can help with the screening process before she even starts reading the replies.

__________________
1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

He hasn't received any money from the DeLorean parts yet....

__________________
"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

Nigerian student gets 19 years' jail for love scam
Mon Mar 16, 1:59 pm ET

LAGOS (Reuters) – A Nigerian undergraduate has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for obtaining $47,000 (33,382 pounds) from an Australian woman by convincing her over the Internet that he was 57 years old, white, and madly in love with her.
Lawal Adekunle Nurudeen met his victim on the Internet in 2007 and convinced her that he was a British widower called Benson Lawson. He said he was an engineer working in Lagos whose wife and only child had been killed in a car accident.
"The victim, a 56-year-old woman from Australia, told the convict that she wanted a husband and all the men she had met always disappointed her," said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria's anti-corruption police.
"The convict, who is married with three children, instantly replied and told the victim she had met her Mr Right ... He sent the picture of a white man to foreclose any suspicions."
The woman sent Nurudeen money for medical treatment and travel costs to visit Australia. He spent the funds on two plots of land and a Honda Prelude car.
Nigerian confidence tricksters have a long history of extorting money via the Internet through "419" scams, named after the clause that outlaws them in Nigeria's penal code. Many are never caught.
The EFCC said Nurudeen was ordered to pay around $10,000 immediately and a further $250 a month to his victim until the full amount stolen was returned. She would also receive the proceeds of the sale of his land and car.