New Scam to Watch Out For: vivian00cole@gmail.com & the Rental Scam
 | By Steve Rhode Ask me your question. |
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I had a friend start to get sucked in on a rental scam that goes like this.
Vivian Coleman or Vivian Coleman posts a well written advertisement for a sublease of a beautiful furnished apartment for a below market rate.
She says that she and her husband have been relocated out of the area and they are looking for someone to care for the apartment while they are gone. But you can’t see the actually apartment until you agree to take it and Vivian approves you. The address of the place is listed in the advertisement so you can drive by and see it is a beautiful place.
Once you reply back to Vivian and say you are interested you get the following email.
Good hearing from you that you are promising us that our flat will be well taken care off,and I really appreciate your expression.So,Like I told you there’s none of my friends or relatives to show you the flat..I want you to stick to your words.Is that okay with you?And the below is the final question that you must answer to qualify for the rent.
Hope you have a nice working day,Infact I will like to meet you when coming to visit you soonest.We do a long term and short term renting anytime you which to leave the place will be grateful and we are ready to rent a long-term for 2 years lease or more.
Note that you will are not allowed to enter the flat,because the keys/document is here with me in New jersey.
*******RENT APPLICATION FORM*******
(Private & Confidential)
Also,Pls let me get this answer.
1)Your Full Name
2)Present Full Address(where you reside now) & Phone Number to Reach You
3)Age
4)Are you married?
5)Sex?
6)How many people will be living in the house?
7)Do you have a pet?
8)Do you have a car?
9)What is your religion?
10)Occupation?
11) Citizen of which Country?
11) How Many Month Deposit ???
12) When are you ready to Move In ?
13) When are u planning to leave the flat ?Looking forward to hear from you with all this details for approval so that i can have it in my file incase of issuing the receipt in your name and contacting you.Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys to you,Please we are giving you all this transaction is based on Trust & Honesty and again I want you to stick to your words,We are putting everything into Gods hand,so please do not let us down in this property of ours and God bless you more as you do this.
Thanks so much and have a nice day
When my friend Danny showed me the email, alarms immediately started going off. Who asks for your religion on a rental application and why was the ad listed by Vivian so beautifully worded and the email response is so crappy?
A little research on the net uncovered that this is a scam that is being run around the world. The rest of the scam runs like this. Once you fill out the crappy rental application and email it back you will be approved.
The keys and documents will be sent to you but you will need to send money first by Western Union or MoneyGram, sometimes to an address in Lagos, Nigeria. You will be asked to send around $200 to “Vivian” to pay for the FedEx shipping of the keys and documents. There is a variation that involves sending a deposit and first months rent as well.
Once you send the money, you never get anything. That is where the scam ends.
A few points to look for in the advertisement. It may use the term flat instead of apartment and says that it includes hydro instead of water.
Source: New Scam to Watch Out For: & the Rental Scam
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Comments
Comment by 
Comment by Carl H. Starrett II Who in the United States every refers to a rental unit as a flat? It sounds like the same people who tell me that a relative left me a bunch of money after dying in a Nigerian plane crash. Calling this a scam is an understatement.
Carl H. Starrett II´s last blog ..California’s 90-Day Foreclosure Moratorium Really Isn’t 
Comment by Julie Queen I inquired about an apartment in New Orleans and thought I was talking with a real person. Thank God that I read the scam alert on craigslist and investigated. I was not sending any money via western union. They also changed by adding an additionl bedroom for storage and some additional amenities. I am glad I did some research.
Comment by Thomas I just finished replying to Vivian, who by the way, sent me a stupid application and a picture of her and her husband who is reportedly in West Africa “doing God’s work.” There should be some kind of way to nab these losers and make them pay for their attempted larceny. I just had a gut feeling about this thing after receiving the initial email. Trust your gut!
Comment by Bill I am being worked right now with this scam. What
should I do? Contact authority? Play the game with
them for a little longer?
I am glad I did a search and found this.
Steve Rhode Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Bill,
I would suggest you mark their email address as spam and ignore it, or, see if you can get what payment method and payment instructions they want you to send the money to and let me know. That would be an interesting piece of the puzzle.
Steve
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OMG!!!!! I they almost got me i’m so glad i came up here to do my research!! I feel like an idoit, for thinking I was talking to a real person, but they definitely didnt get my money! Oh wow!! I still kind of feel dumb, anyhow, love this site!!
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Steve Rhode Reply:
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:10 am
April,
Don’t feel bad, the initial ad look so real that even I went with Danny to look at the building from the outside. It wasn’t until the email arrived for the next step that it became very suspicious. I’m sure a lot of people are getting taken on this scam.
Steve
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