Real Estate Scam via german site

Hi,

I almost fell for some kind of real estate scam. The scammer posted an apartment offer (which was suspicously priced) on the german site http://www.immobilienscout24.de. This site requires everyone offering an apartment for rent/sale to sign up and also to pay, so there are usually not many e-mail scams there. Not knowing it was a scam I sent an inquiry via an automatic function on the site. Today I received this:

Hello,

My name is Paul Kenneth Foltyn and I am the owner of the apartment advertised on www.immobilienscout24.de located here: Binderstraße 18, 20146 Hamburg.
I'm looking for someone to live in the apartment, as soon as possible, because my company has won an auction for a big construction project in United Kingdom, London. I'm a civil engineer, so my accommodation period here will be about 5 years. The renting period is from minimum 2 months up to 5 years. The apartment is exactly like you see in the pictures.
The apartment is fully furnished, but I have the option of sending all my furniture into storage if you want to bring your own (no extra costs). The rent for 1 month is 650 Euro (for the whole apartment) including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking space, air conditioning, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator). You can move in the apt in the same day you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m already in London because we started the work, but you don't need to worry because I have made all arrangements to rent the apartment from here.

Thank you for your interest and I will look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
Paul Foltyn

It's probably the same scheme that's discussed here:
http://www.munsterfans.com/forum/forum_ ... 7327&TPN=1

Welcome to Scamwarners McLovin.

So glad you recognised it as a scam and kept your dollars in your pocket.

Munsterfans have called it correctly as a scam and have plenty of info on their site.

I investigated the following name and found another scam linked to the scammer.

[email protected]

ORANAGE
ORANGE INTERNATIONAL LTD
Orange Company Winning Notification
Orange Development Company of U.K


Orange Centre, London, SE1 7NA - United Kingdom
======================================...
ORANGE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF UK, SE1 7NA.

Reference Number: 790041815
Batch Number: 90420912/195
Winning Number: 9 25 56 0 71 88

Dear Donation Beneficiary,

NOTIFICATION OF YOUR WINNING

The Orange Development Company Of Uk is glad to inform you that you have been approved a lump sum pay of 350,000.00 GB POUNDS (Three Hundred And Fifty Thousand, Great Britain Pounds) in cash credit file ref: ILP/HW 89713/08 from the total cash prize shared amongest four lucky winners in this category.

All participants were selected through a computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia, United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our international promotions program which is conducted annually. This Lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some multi national companies as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have operational base.

To celebrate the 7th anniversary program, the Orange Development Company Of Uk, in conjunction with some multi national companies and other relevant bodies is giving out a yearly donation of 350,000.00 GB POUNDS (Three Hundred And Fifty Thousand,Great Britain Pounds) to four lucky recipients.

These specific Donations/Grants will be awarded to recipients worldwide, in different categories for their personal business development and enhancement of their educational plans. Kindly note that you will only be chosen to receive the donation once, which means that subsequent yearly donation will not get to you again.

You were selected among the lucky recipients to receive the award sum of 350,000.00 GB POUNDS (Three Hundred And Fifty Thousand, Great Britain Pounds) as charity donations/aid from the Orange Development Company Of Uk in accordance with the enabling act of Parliament.

You are advised to fill the form below and send to your claims agent Mr.Paul Kenneth (RCA) with the below email address immediately.

TITLE: A (personal data)
Full name:..........................
Address:............................
Date of Birth:......................
Occupation:.......................
Phone:..............................
Citizenship:.......................
E-mail:..............................
Sex:.................................

SECTION: B (Winnig verification numbers)
Quote your reference, batch and winning number which can be found on the top left corner of this notification.

Reference NO_:
Batch NO_:
Winning NO_:

NOTE: you must complete and send the ( Title A) and (Section B) to your claim agent Mr.Paul Kenneth with his E-mail Address below, becaus he is the only person to direct you on how you can claim you winnig prize money.

Contact person:Mr.Paul Kenneth
Email:[email protected]
:[email protected]
Telephone: +44-7031837548

For security reasons, we advice all winners to keep this information confidential from the public until your claim is processed and your prize released to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted taking advantage of this programme by non-participant or unofficial personnel. All information is strictly confidential and will only be used for the purpose to which it is been requested.

Note: All awrards MUST be claimed, not later than 20 days after notification. Failure to do so will result to outright cancellation
On behalf of the entire Board, I say Congratulations!!

Yours in service,
Dr.(Mrs) Rose Philip
(Publicity secretary)

Copyright 2000-2008 Orange International Company.

Note - Telephone: +44-7031837548 redirect number. The 4470 number is a very good indicator of a scam as legitimate business would have no need for it, unfortunately for many victims of scams it promotes legitimacy.

Also note postcode SE1 7NA is for The Shell Co of Nigeria Ltd, Shell Centre, York Rd, Lambeth, London.

Thank you for posting the information here. I know it will alert other potential victims and save them money also.

If you have any further questions our advisers will be pleased to answer them.

Also please spread the warning amongst your friends and colleagues to be wary.

Again, Thank You, and wish you well.

Hi,
He she or it is now renting a place in Amsterdam by the name Angela Brassington.

Hi Bertje,

Welcome to ScamWarners and thank you for the additional information

Statistically speaking it will be a "he", glad to hear you realised it was a scam before losing any money

If you could please post up any of the scammers emails or email addresses if they are different from above removing any of your own details first

If you do have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask

He/she is trying to rent an apartment at Switzerand with the name Angela Brassing using [email protected]

the first email

Hello,
My name is Angela Brassing and I received your email of interest for the rental of my apartment located in Lausanne onCh.du Bois-de-la-Fontaine 9,postal code:1007.
I'm looking for someone to live in the apartment, as soon as possible, because my company has won an auction for a big construction project in United Kingdom, Manchester. I'm a project manger in civil engineering , so my accommodation period here will be from 5 to 10 years.
I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons do you intend to live in my apartment, for what period, etc. I will tell you from the beginning that I don't have a problem if you are a student and I don't have a problem with pets (I own a little dog myself).
Now I am going to tell you something about the apartment and myself so we can get to know each other.
The apartment is exactly like in the pictures, fully furnished, renovated with taste and available from 2 months to 10 years. Also, very important, the utilities (water, gas, electricity, Internet, cable TV, parking space, refrigerator, microwave, etc) are INCLUDED in the price of 850 CHF/month. I have the option of sending all my furniture into storage if you want to bring your own (no extra costs).
About myself, I am 42 years old and as I told you I am a project manager and my job even if it pais very well , requires that I move a lot and without notice . I bought this apartment while I was working on a 4 year contract in Switzerland.
You can move in the apt in the same day you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m already in Manchester because we started the work, but you don't need to worry because I have made all arrangements to rent the apartment from here.
Thank you for your interest and looking forward to a future colaboration and friendship.

Best regards,
Angela Brassing
Project Manager in Civil Engineering

a second email

Hi ,
I'm glad to see that you are really interested in my apartment so I agree to rent it to you at the price of 850 CHF/month all utilities included . You seem to be a very nice person and I can assure you we will not have any problems .
I am a serious woman , my son just graduated from the London University with honors in advanced computer communications.
My husband is a teacher at the local high school, and also graduated the London University and was offered a fellowship to Harvard University in Massachusetts but he refused this offer and deicided to live together with me in Manchester .
The apartment looks exactly like you see it in the pictures and if you like it and if everything is ok with you we can begin the transaction with the rentals company in order to send an agent to show you the apartment .
Important ! I will pay for the services of the rental company .
I request 1 month of deposit which will be returned at the end of the contract or they will be the payment for the last month of rent .
If you agree with everything I will send you an email and I will explain the procedure to you step by step .
I will wait your email with your decision !

Angela Brassing
Project Manager in Civil Engineering

and the last email

Hi again ,

I will explain the best way I can . I have a contract with a real estate agency and and I have already paid for the service (no charge for you ).
The real estate agency will send an agent to show you the apartment in my name at a scheduled date (at your convenience ) . You will meet with the agent at the scheduled date and hour at the address of the apartment (in front of the building) .
The problem is that the rentals company requests payment for the deposit month in advance to be sure that the client really has the intention of renting the apartment . It kind of makes sense since they handle abroad rentals and they send the agents all over Europe .
I have already signed a contract with them and and I have already paid for the service so if you want to rent this apartment we will have to follow the rules of the rental agency .
I want to make 2 things very clear :
1) the 1 month of deposit that you have to pay in advance is 100 % refundable if you don't like the apartment ( if you want to keep the apartment the rentals agency will give me the money as payment for the deposit month )
2) the payment is a simple formality and by paying you are not obliged to rent the apartment .you are just respecting the policy of a abroad rentals company .
Now , in order to start the transaction I will need the following information from you :
a) your full name ( first name , last name )
b) your current address ( street name , street number , postal code , city )
c) your telephone number (mobile or home number )
d) rental period (period you want on the rental contract )
After I will receive this information from you I will go to the rentals agency 's office and complete the papers with your information .
They will send you an invoice with the payment and delivery instructions and all you have to do is follow these instructions and we will not have any problems .
PS: After this first payment throught the real estate agency , the payment will be made monthly to my bank account on a scheduled date (at your convenience).
Best Regards ,
Angela Brassing
Project Manager in Civil Engineering

She/he even attached a copy of the passport where her name was Angela Brassing but at the bottom of the page was Angela Brassington

Welcome to scamwarners stavros. Thank you for posting this scammers information here.

It will alert and save others from being scammed. Well Done.

same here..a guy called Brad Brown tried to make me rent an apt in London

Hi,

The flat is still available to rent and i can rent if for maximum 3 years.
My name is Brad and i am a private landlord.although i own the flat,i do not live in it because i actually had to move with my job in Berlin(Germany). However,I left the keys and contract already signed by me in ImmobilienScout Rental Properties Services custody, and they will handle the payment and delivery for us.

The flat is a fully furnished.
- Toilet and Bathroom with Shower
- Kitchen with modern fittings
- Dish washer/Dryer
- Washing Machine
- Cable TV
- Free Wireless Internet connection
- Street Parking space available
- Tube station five minutes
Located in quiet residential area with large fitted wardrobes, offering heaps of storage space.

I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it and I was hoping if you can send me some personal informations about yourself.
The price i am looking for is L800 per month including bills(gas, water, electricity and council tax).
Meanwhile, Below are the lease terms:
* An advance payment of the one month rent and 2 month deposit shall be paid.
* If you will need to vacate the flat, notice shall be given a month prior to intended day of moving.

. If you want to know more about how this tenancy works please get back to me ASAP and i will send you the details step by step.


Thank you and hope to hear back from you!

and then...

Hi,

If we decide to proceed with this transaction, I will have to contact ImmobilienScout Rental Services and provide them all the necessary information, so they can start the process right away. I will need your FULL NAME, ADDRESS and PHONE NUMBER for that. You will receive a notification from Gumtree shortly after that, together with all the instructions to follow and the invoice for payment as well.

Regarding the payment, you will be instructed to deposit the money to a ImmobilienScout Agent. They will hold and insure your money until you check the apartment and decide if you want take it or not. That is how their protection policy works. As far as my concerns, I will be glad to know that ImmobilienScout Rental Properties Services has the possession of the money during the delivery period. That is our insurance.
As soon as the funds have been deposited into their account, they will immediately start the shipping process. You will have to pay for 2 months paid in advance+500 safety deposit!
The keys and rental contract will be delivered at your address in no more than 24h. You will be given a 3 days inspection period from the day you receive the keys and contract at home. If you decide to rent the apartment, then you will have to authorize ImmobilienScout Team to release the funds to me, and the transaction will be completed.

If you will not be satisfied with the apartment, you will be able to send the keys and contract back through the same service and ask ImmobilienScout Team to return the deposit to you.

Though I am sure you will love the apartment, it is good to know that you do have this second option available. If you wish to proceed with the renting, please provide me your full name, address and phone number so I can initiate the deal through ImmobilienScout Rental Services right away.

Scammmmm!

Quoted emails - Ralph

Hi Moonish and welcome,

Thank you for posting this information, it will go a long way to helping others.

It seems you have a good idea about spotting these scams but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Hi, glad I checked out Immobilien... on this site, thank you! Gumtree London is now being used by this fraudster,
"One bedroom flat to rent in Harley Street, Marylebone (£800 pcm).
One "Martin Morton" (e-mail [email protected] in case you're interested), has just sent me the same nonsense about pre payment and, guess what? Yes he's changed sex again but is still a civil engineer on a contract
in Berlin! I am actually working there myself in March (honest), so I'll look him/her up!
Thanks again

This guy has now popped up with this name/email:

Kennard James <[email protected]>

He's advertising a 1 bedroom flat in Brook Green, London, again for £800 per month all inclusive. Here's his response email:

RE: Reply to your ad: Spacious one bedroom flat to rent in Addison Gardens, Brook Green

Hello,

My name is James and I am private landlord also the owner of the apartment!

The flat is a fully furnished(brand new furniture ,microwave, refrigerator, air conditioning, dishwasher,Kitchen with modern fittings)

I'm looking for someone to live in the apartment, as soon as possible, because my company has won an auction for a big construction project in Germany, Berlin. I'm a civil engineer, so my accommodation period here will be about 5 years. The minimum lease period is 3 months up to 5 years.

The price i am looking for is £800 per month including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking space). You can move in the apt in the same day you receive the keys.
Meanwhile, Below are the lease terms:
* An advance payment of two months + £500 safety deposit shall be paid(the safety deposit will be refunded after 1st month).
* If you will need to vacate the flat, notice shall be given a month prior to intended day of moving.

The only problem is that I`m already in Berlin because we started the work, but you don't need to worry because I have made all arrangements to rent the apartment from here.
. If you want to know more about how this tenancy works please get back to me ASAP and i will send you the details step by step.

Best regards,
James

***
My wife scared him off by asking some quite embarrassing questions, and we gave him the phone number for the local police station rather than ours...!

Watch out, the guy's not clever, but very active.

Quotes added for clarity - Michelle

Welcome to Scamwarners. Well spotted!

Yesterday I responded to an offer publish on a free advertising web page. Today I received this answer:


My name is Martin Wals and I received your email of interest for the rental of my apartment located in 10 Zelena.
I'm looking for someone to live in the apartment, as soon as possible, because my company has won an auction for a big construction project in Liverpool, United Kingdom. I'm a project manger in civil engineering, so my accommodation period here will be very large (more than 5 years).
I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons do you intend to live in my apartment, for what period, etc. I must tell you from the beginning that I don't have a problem if you are a student and I don't have a problem with pets (I own a little dog myself).
Now I am going to tell you something about the apartment and myself so we can get to know each other.
The apartment is furnished, but I have the option of sending all my furniture into my private storage if you want to bring your own (no extra costs). The rent for 1 month is 320 EUR (for the whole apartment) including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator).
About myself, I am 54 years old and as I told you I am a project manager and my job even though it pays very well takes all of my time. I bought this apartment while I was working on a 5 year contract in Austria.
You can move in the apartment in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys but I hope that we will find a solution.

Thank you for your interest and looking forward to a future colaboration and friendship.


Best regards,

Martin Wals

Project Manager
Europe Construct Limited

I forgot to mention it was published in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Welcome to Scamwarners, and thanks for posting that scam. Can you add the email address he used please.
Europe Construct Limited was registered in the UK in 2004 and since dissolved without filing any accounts. If it ever traded, it was never a large construction company.

Hi again. Thanks for helping me through your website not to be deceived.

This time he used the e-mail address [email protected].

Before knowing it's a scam a replied to him and got this answer:


Hello again,
Thanks very much for your reply and your willingness to rent the flat. I agree to give you the apartment, so you
can rent the it if you are still interested, of course. As I shall be renting you my home, please take care of the
flat like it were your own. I promise you that you will love this apartment .
I am in Liverpool now but I found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, if you move fast as well.The solution is provided by an escrow company called MoneyBookers. Please click on the link bellow to the MoneyBookers website to see how we can complete the deal safely and fast directly from the website of the company where the procedure is explained:

https://www.moneybookers.com/app/help.pl?s=escrow&l=EN.

Let me know if you are interested please as soon as you read this message because I really need to take care of this matter.

Martin