NO no i'm not gonna get back in touch he is still emailing and calling... I'm just gonna ignore him now!

Good for you!

Considering the monies members have saved each other from these scams, perhaps we can start a Trinkgeld fund on EF??

If it seems to good to be true, chances are it is ....

Another Scammer!

--- Conversation with Mr. Smith, the wedding planner ---

Hello ,

Thanks for your interest in my offer but i am sorry as i explain to
you in my previous email that i am not around of the viewing of the
apartment with you due to my work here in Dundee Scotland and the only
person that can view the apartment with you on my behalf is my younger
brother and he has travel to Canada to further his education there so
i am sorry there is no other person that can view the apartment with
you on my behalf but i have attached the pictures and address of my
apartment in this email for you to decide.
The apartment is located at Goldbrunnenstrasse 121 8055 Zürich.
The apartment it will cost you 900 with utilities per month and a
deposit of 1800 which is refundable at the end of you stay if nothing
is damage or returned after 30days if i am satisfied with the way you
manage and care for the apartment.so if i have answer your
questions,so here is the next step for the reservation ,you will make
the reservation for the apartment and sign the rental agreement
contract after this,i will post the spare keys of the apartment to
your address .the money will be transfer to my name and address in
Dundee via western union money transfer,i would have ask you to wire
the payment to me via Bank Account but am new here,and i have not open
any Bank Account ,but it will be essay for me to claim the money from
you via this method... so for the contract to be prepared,i will be
needing this details from you
your full name and address
passport id number
date of birth
date of moving in and out to my flat
Get back to me with this details for the contract to start.

Regards


Phone No:+447024083826

SKYPE:FOTANTALK

On 8/7/11, AntrixSinn <> wrote:
> Dear Mr Smith,
>
> Thank you very much for your Email, I am indeed interested having the
> apartment and I already like it very much. My contract with the present
> student-house that I live in is going to expire by the end of this month. So
> sooner I can move in better its for me!
>
> I would like to rent the entire apartment for myself, and probably (but not
> certainly) a German colleague of mine from my laboratory might share it with
> me starting from next year when he shifts permanently to Zürich in December
> this year. However any such thing will be done only by your consent. I am
> comfortable with quoted rent price and security deposit, and would abide by
> the said house/rent rules.
>
> I have the necessary set of paperwork ready for quick transaction, including
> all my IDs, references, No-debt form, curriculum vitae etc. Please let me
> know how to you wish to proceed from here on (for exchange of
> documents/rents/keys etc).
>
> I have a few questions here, and will be helpful if you could please answer
> them:
>
> 1) What is the duration for which you would like to rent out the house
> 2) How much do the additional costs (electricity/heating/internet) cost or
> are the utilities included in the rent
> 3) In your absence, is the house managed by any third-party agency
> 4) Can you please send me some more pics if possible?
>
> Best regards,
>
> AntrixSinn
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Smith George [helpmelord101@gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, August 07, 2011 1:59 PM
> To: AntrixSin
> Subject:
>
> Hello
>
> Thanks for getting back to me for the details of the flat.. I am a
> wedding Planner and i travel a lot so i often stay in my apartment.But
> for now i am not in Zurich now,i just secure a new job here in
> Dundee,so am willing to rent out, a charming and sophisticated
> apartment well furnished and well equipped..2-rooms apartment is
> offered for rent fully furnished. Surfacing about 100sq meter for a
> room, it has been totally renewed and it is close to the main shopping
> areas and public transports...
> EQUIPMENTS
> Cupboards, US kitchen fully equipped,and a bathroom with shower are
> some of the assets of the flat. Autonomous heating,secure
> door,code,inter phone....with fast internet connection Equipment in
> the flat,fridge, washing machine,antique oven,microwave,tv,
> desk,spacious closet, and tons of storage space all around, all zone
> dvd player,Each bedroom has its private Bathroom and Toilet...
> COST
> Two bedroom flat will cost you 900 per month with a security deposit
> of 1800 refundable at the end of your stay if nothing is reported
> missing or damage in the flat during your stay and if you are renting
> only one room out of the apartment it will cost you 450 per month and
> a deposit of 900.if you are okay with the price of the apartment then
> get back to me and mind you ,i will not be around for the viewing of
> the apartment now,but i can attach the pictures of the place for you
> to have a look at what you are renting from me.. Get back to me for
> the other details of the apartment........
>
> Regards
>

I am glad to read back from you. I will gladly rent my apartment to you since you have assured me you will take good care of it in my absence and also my apartment is available from now on. Like i told you earlier my keys are here with me and i am very busy at work here. The photos i sent you earlier are the exact photos i took before leaving. That is the current state of my apartment. If you like the photos then you will definitely like my apartment when you move in. It is because of the bad attitude of estate agent that i decided to take my keys along and rent my apartment myself. this is also going to be an advantage for you because you are paying less as there is no commission or agency fees attached.

We need to go through the rental procedure so that you can receive the keys and move in. Firstly we will both sign a rental agreement contract which will be prepared by my lawyer here then i will post the keys of the apartment and the payment receipt to you via DHL express (1-2 days delivery ) after your deposit payment which is your first month rent and the security deposit has been confirmed.

Hope to read back from you soonest because i need some information from you which i will send to my lawyer to prepare the rental agreement contract.

Best regards,
Kelly.

And another one. The email is klly.rdsn1@yahoo.com.

...and another scam (sorry I received it like this, german):

Guten Abend,

Mein Nаme ist Esther Fidli, ich hаbe gerаde eine Mаil eines Interessenten bezüglich meines Zwei-Zimmer-Аppаrtements in der

Rainstrasse 6 erhаlten. Ich bin eine spаnische Forscherin, der für ein phаrmаzeutische Unternehmen аrbeitet. Dieses Аppаrtement

hаbe ich gekаuft, аls ich in der Schweiz im Rаhmen eines 5 Jаhresvertrаges geаrbeitet hаbe. Ich hielt es für eine bessere

Investition аls eine Mietwohnung. Аls Аlleineigentümer des Аppаrtements hаbe ich es voll аbbezаhlt, es gibt keine rechtlichen

Probleme. Dаs Аppаrtement wurde nicht bewohnt, dа ich nicht länger in Zürich wohne.
Ich möchte mein Аppаrtement аn sympаthische und verаntwortliche Leute vermieten. Dаfür muss ich einige Detаils über Sie

wissen, z.B. wie viele Leute in dem Аppаrtement wohnen sollen, wie lаnge, ob Sie ein regelmäßiges Einkommen hаben, etc. Ich sаge

Ihnen gleich zu Beginn, dаss ich kein Problem dаmit hаbe, wenn Sie noch Student sind. Аuch bin ich ein großer Tierliebhаber und

аkzeptiere diese gerne in dem Аppаrtement (Ich selbst bin stolzer Eigentümer einer englischen Bulldogge.). Sie sollten аuch

wissen, dаss ich Аufrichtigkeit sehr begrüße.
In Ergänzung zu аllem аnderen ist hier etwаs über dаs Аppаrtement und mich, so dаss wir uns etwаs kennenlernen.
Dаs Аppаrtement ist dаs аuf den Bildern аus der Аnzeige, jedoch hаben die letzten Mieter ihre eigenen Möbel gehаbt. Meine

eigenen Möbel hаbe ich in dem Keller eingelаgert. Wenn Sie keine Möbel hаben, kаnn ich meine Möbel ohne Zusаtzkosten für Sie in

dаs Аppаrtement zurückbringen.
Die Miete für einen Monаt beträgt 1375 fr.- (für dаs gesаmte Аppаrtement), inklusive аller Nebenkosten (Wаsser, Strom,

Internet, Kаbel-TV). Sie können dаs Аppаrtement für jeden Zeitrаum (unbefristeter Vertrаg) mieten, jedoch nicht kürzer аls vier

Monаte.
Über mich, ich bin 56 Jаhre аlt und wie gesаgt ein Forscherin im phаrmаzeutischen Bereich, derzeit in meiner Heimаtstаdt

Mаdrid lebend.
Sie können аn dem gleichen Tаg in dаs Аppаrtement ziehen, аn dem Sie die Schlüssel erhаlten. Der einzige Punkt ist der,

dаss ich bereits in Spаnien bin, аber ich hoffe, wir finden eine Lösung.

Ich begrüße Ihr Interesse аn meiner Wohnung und sehe einer zukünftigen Zusаmmenаrbeit und Freundschаft entgegen.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

Esther Fidli

Hi everyone...i know this thread to be 1 year old, but i really need some advice on an email i received from a certain "Sarah Laraine" concerning her apartment.Her ad in wgzimmer was in german, she replied in Bad english to my email.
If you could read it and give me your opinion on wether it is a scam or not (..probably is cause my instincts never fail me) i would really appreciate it. I just want to be sure and move on..

Here it is:
sarahlarainee@globomail.com


Hello.

Thanks for the email and it is my gladness to hearing from you.I am
Sarah Laraine the owner of the Apartment you are making inquiry of.The
Apartment is very much available but before i will be renting it out
to you, you will have to agree with on the terms and provide and
answers to the questions below...

CAREFULLY READ AND DIGEST well CONDITIONS:
1.Party 's agreed very well taken care of the apartment.
2.Pet allowed.
3.Smoking allowed.

Address;Avenue de France 49 1004 Lausanne

Then if you are free of all this, this 1bedRoom Apartment is yours.the
reason why am asking question that presently am not in Lausanne now, I
am Software Quality Engineer and once worked at QMP at Credit Suisse
in Lausanne and presently been transfer to UK and this project will
last for a Long time and am giving my Apartment out,so that is why i
needed a good tenant who take good care of my home while am away. I
live in Here in UK with my Family. And presently my apartment is still
available for rent in,for ( 700 CHF per month including the utilities
like water, heat, gas, washer, dryer, electricity and so on.) and a
deposit of 800 CHF which is refunded to you at the end of your stay in
my home.There is no extra charges. The 1bed rooms Apartment include a
bed and Include 1 bathrooms,Kitchen and Toilet all Private and it is
furnished and you can also rent it unfurnished... Price in Per/month
and it is very much available ,All room wired for internet/cable.

Please i want you to note that, i am a kind and honest woman and spent
a lot on my property so that why am been careful before i give it to
rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and
want you to treat it as your own,is that taken,it is not the money the
main problem but want you to keep it tidy all the time .I also want
you to let me have trust in you as i always stand on my word.

I will also like to know how many months you will want to rent.I await
your response, so that we can proceed from there.Note: i will send you
the pictures of the rooms when you get back to me. Below is rental
application form RENT APPLICATION FORM.

FULL NAME__________?
DATE OF BIRTH:_________?
PROFESSION:__________?
PHONE__________?
MARITAL STATUS__________?
PRESENT ADDRESS:_____________________
HOW LONG?___________IF RENTING
WHY ARE YOU LEAVING your place of Rent__________?
HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING?____________?
PASSPORT COPY______________?
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN?______________?
IF YOU HAVE A PET,______________?
KIND OF PETS:_____________?
DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT?____?

......So do get back with me with this information so i can let you
know the next step...
Hope to read from you soonest.
Thanks .
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I replied to this email without giving out my passport number or the exact date of birth or my address. And her next reply was this :

Hello Nicoletta

Thanks for the mail and am sorry for the late response. i do
understand everything you said and it a 1bedroom apartment and i
attached some pictures of my apartment and i want you to know that how
my apartment looks like and in Good Condition because i just Renovated
it.i got your details which will be used in making the Contract
Document.since you will be moving in September 2012.i want you to know
you will be making an up front payment after the Contract Document
have been sign and for me to be rest assured that you will rent my
apartment before coming down to hand you my keys.i hope you understand
me and hope to hear from you before i could proceed..

thanks

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In case you are wondering about the pictures of the apartment...well, they were pretty good looking fr 700 CHF ...IMHO.

Thank you for reading it and please let me know what you think.

Nicole

It's a scam. Just copy and paste paragraphs into google and you see the same repeated scams.

If you even consider such rubbish, you shouldn't really be renting a flat.

Their is a market price, we all know and something at 50% under that just does not exist anywhere, so why bother wasting time ovber something that is patently a fraud.

It's totally irrelevant where the city is, could be Geneve, Zurich, London, Paris, absolutely anywhere.

Right! its what i thought.
well, i have lots of free time at the moment, sending an email just to check out he offer is not such a big problem for me. I have already encountered other 3 scams, they were just more obvious.
Thanks for the advice !

This email screams scam. Im just curious how more obvious the others were. It cant get more obvious than this surely

Oooookay ..is everybody done with stating the fact that its obvious ?
Wow, surely makes me think twice about asking for help next time.

We are curious as to what other scam emails are there

Here's another one:

I received this by email when I was still under the impression it was no scam:

Money Bookers newbusiness@representative.com

Congratulations <my name was here> ,
You have a MoneyBookers package waiting for you:
Status: In custody - Awaiting Payment
Description of goods: Apartment keys and rental contract
Value of goods: EUR 960.00
Shipment Date: August , 06 2012
Order ID: #31597598
*Note: Status will change to SHIPPED only when we have the funds (EUR 960.00) in our custody.
================================================== ======================
Instructions to complete this transaction:
I. Payment must be sent by Western Union Money Transfer here:

Full Name: Daniel Sewyan
Street Address: 10 Peel Avenue
City Address: Manchester
State and Zip: M17 8BN
Country: United Kingdom
II. To submit the payment with Western Union Money Transfer, you must

follow 5 easy steps:
1. Find a Western Union agent location near you
http://locations.westernunion.com/?locale=en_US
2. Visit your Western Union agent. You may be required to provide personal identification, usually one or more of the following:
passport, driving license, national identity card or a government issued identification.
You may also be required to provide proof of address (bank statement or utility bill).
Requirements vary by country so please ask your local Western Union agent for acceptable identification formats.
3. Complete a simple ‘send’ form and hand this to the Western Union agent along with the money you want to send and the transfer fee.
Because the fee to send a Western Union Money Transfer is high, compared to other methods of payment, we have arranged with the seller to compensate for half of this fee.
(i.e. if it costs you $100 to send the payment, take $50 from the amount insured and send the balance).
4. You will be given a 10 digit MTCN Number.
5. Once the payment was sent, e-mail us the following information:
1. Scanned Paper
2. Verified Agent's ID: #25 (Daniel Sewyan)
3. 10 digit MTCN Number:
4. Exact sender's name on file:
5. Your street address on file:
6. City and country where you sent the money from:
7. Amount sent:
Then wait for the confirmation the payment was received. Once we have the payment details, we will release your package instantly.
Within 2 business days, you will receive your merchandise.
Thank you for using our services !
MoneyBookers Service Company


And this he emailed me because I didnot receive the confirmation email above before he had this info:

From: Money Bookers
Sent: 08/06/12 07:42 PM
To: steffdilaver@hotmail.com
Subject: Transaction Started and Payment Request!

Dear <my name was here>,
We require the payment to be made through WesternUnion money transfer service.

If you are not familiarized with the WesternUnion money transfer services please visit: www.westernunion.com
You can pay with cash at any WesternUnion Office.

Payment must be sent to the MoneyBookers Agent below

MoneyBookers Agent Details
First name: Daniel
Last name: Sewyan
Address: 10 Peel Avenue
City/State: Manchester
PostalCode: M17 8BN
Country: United Kingdom
_____________________


Important notice

The payment details are confidential and will not be released under any circumstances.Our customer chose this payment method in order to speed up the transaction. MoneyBookers security measures are constantly reviewed and modified given evolving circumstances globally, drawing on both internal assessments and the support of government agencies.Our constant priority is for the safety of our people, our customers, and the general public.

MoneyBookers always tries to fulfill its customers' needs.

Sender Information

First name: Steffen
Last name: Dilaver
Address: 1 Chapel Street
City: Manchester
Zip Code: M34 5DE
Country: United Kingdom

_____________________

Delivery Information

<my details were here>

Apartment keys and rental contract verified and signed by the Sender. Owner of the apartment in:
Berninastrasse 2 , 8057 Zurich - Zurich / Switzerland .All the papers are double checked.

-Transaction Registered No 31597598
- Insured Value Amount (2 month deposit) EUR 960.00
- If you decide to hold the apartment, then you will have to authorize us to release the funds to the sender, 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 with no costs and inform us to return the funds to you.

Payment Information Western Union®

IT'S EASY Visit any one of WesternUnion's nearly 45,000 Agent locations and fill out the appropriate WesternUnion form to send your payment in cash. Your payment is typically sent within minutes…usually faster than paying with money orders or COD.

IT'S CONVENIENT There are nearly 45,000 Western Union Agent locations nationwide. Many are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
HOW TO MAKE PAYMENT
* Locate the nearest WesternUnion Office
* Make the payment with cash using the previous mentioned Details MoneyBookers Agent Details
* Contact us with
-Scanned WesternUnion receipt, 10 digit reference number
-Exact sender's name on file with WesternUnion
-Your street address on file with WesternUnion
-City and country where you sent the money from
-Amount sent


The Payment Informations must be sent to us at: newbusiness@representative.com

I just went back to Western Union to get my money back as I didnot provide them the MTCN 10 digits to collect it. I only lost 50 pounds...

This is the one I received couple of weeks ago. The email was copied to another person and I found her on facebook following her email address.
And another thing...if a person (like this one below) claims to be British, they should make a bigger effort when it comes to the English grammar

Hello,

My name is Sylvia Taylor and I just got an e-mail regarding your interest in my apartment from Zürich.
I'm looking for someone to live in my apartment, because my company has won an auction for a big construction project in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
I'm a project manager in civil engineering, so my accommodation period here will be very large (more than 5 years). I'm a english engineer.
I bought this flat when I worked in Zürich,Switzerland as part of a 3 year contract, thinking it would be a better investment than taking in rent. I am the single owner, the apartment is fully paid and there is no legal problem. The apartment is unoccupied since I no longer live there.

I want to rent my apartment to some nice and responsible persons, so I would like to know more details about yourself : How old are you, if you are married, if you have a pet, if you have a car, occupation etc.. I must say that I have nothing against the fact that you're a student and I love pets and they are welcome in the apartment. You should also know that I appreciate the sincerity.
In addition to the rest, here is some information about myself and about the apartment, so we knew a little more.
The apartment is exactly like in the pictures, fully furnished, fully equipped, so you won't need anything to move in (you can also bring your own things furniture if you have).

The monthly rent is 1100 CHF (for the whole apartment), utilities included (water, electricity, internet, cable). You can rent the apartment for an indefinite period, but for a minimum period of 3 months.
About myself, I am 51 years old, single woman and as mentioned above I am a project manager in civil engineering, currently living in Liverpool, United Kingdom. You can move into the apartment the same day you receive the keys. The only problem is that I'm already in UK, but I already thought at a solution so you can get the keys and visit the apartment to make an impression.
I appreciate your interest in my apartment and I'm looking forward to our future collaboration and friendship.

Sincerely,
Sylvia Taylor

PS: If you do not understand english, you can use www.translate.google.com , because my german is not very good.

Another one:The mention of SwissCaution gives it an authentic look. Note how the English changes in the last email
Hello ,
My name is Michael Burton and I received your email of interest for rental of my property Fildistrasse 1a 5605 Dottikon

I am a research engineer for a pharmaceutical company and I bought the property while working on a 2 year contract in Switzerland as an alternative to renting . I am the only owner , the property is paid in full and with no legal problems . The property is not inhabited since I am no longer living in Switzerland . You could be my second tenants .
My intention is to rent the property to nice , clean people and in order to do that I would like to know a little something about you , like how many persons do you intend to live in, do you have a steady income ,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) and I appreciate sincerity.
Also here is a little something about the apartment and myself so we can get to know each other.
The rent for 1 month is 1000 CHF including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, private washing machine). You can rent the property for any period of time (open end contract).
About myself, I am 56 years old and as I told you I am a research engineer for pharmaceutical company, currently living in United Kingdom.
You can move in the apartment in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m already in United Kingdom, but I hope that we shall find a solution.
Thank you for your interest and looking forward to a future collaboration and friendship.
Best regards,
Michael Burton
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am very busy with my work and unfortunately i can't come in person but I found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast.
The solution for the viewing is provided by an rental agency from United Kingdom .
The delivery for the keys (apartment keys , inter-phone , alarm) and viewing permit (signed by me) , will be made through an authorized courier .
I will explain the procedure if you are interested so please email me as soon as you read this message because I really need to take care of this matter.
Have a nice day
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The viewing procedure using the SWISSCAUTION rental guarantee insurance company involves 3 parties : me as the home owner , you as the prospective tenant and the SWISSCAUTION as a licensed third party responsible for good development of the transaction.
I have already signed a contract to use their services. They can take care about the viewing, keys delivery, payment, and they are offering assistance and protection for both, landlords and tenants. Hopefully this will be feasible for you.
If you decide to proceed with this rental transaction, I will have to contact the SWISSCAUTION and provide them all the necessary information, so they can start the process right away (keys and legal documents). I will need your Full Name and Address for that. You will receive a notification from them shortly after that, together with all the instructions to follow.
The keys and rental contract will be delivered to your address. You will be given a 7 days inspection period from the day you receive the keys and contract at home. If you decide to rent the property, then you will have to sign the contract so I can receive the payment from the SWISSCAUTION. If you will not be satisfied with the property, you will have to send the keys/contract back through the same service and you will receive a full refund. I think this is more than fair for both of us and it is good to know that you do have this second option available.The move in cost in total is 1 month rent + rental guarantee (bond) CHF 1000 + CHF 1000 = CHF 2000
If you wish to proceed with renting the property, please provide me your Full Name and Address and also a phone number (mobile if possible), so I can initiate the process through the SWISSCAUTION right away.
I also want to confirm that I won't get any money until you view the apartment and decide to rent it.

Best Regards,

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you receive the confirmation from Swisscaution , you gone have all the detail there. You not pay me any money , they are not hidden charges and if your are not happy with the property , you gone have full refund. The payment is made to Swisscaution and they hold the money till you give them an answer, you gone keep the property or otherwise, you don`t .
In case you gone rent the property, they pay me minus the commission fee what i agree with them .
Kindly Regards !
Ps. Swisscaution act like an Escrow service between us, i hope you know the procedure.

Just got the following by email.

In the past few days, there have been multiple attempts to defraud advertisers on homegate.ch. The process takes place as follows:

1. The scammers register themselves on a published advertisement and request that someone get in touch with them.

2. As soon as they have the advertiser's e-mail address, the scammers send the advertiser an e-mail which includes a request to login to a link included in the e-mail.

3. If the advertiser clicks on this link, he will be forwarded to what is known as a phishing page. If the advertiser logs in, the scammers then acquire all his/her access data.

4. The scammers next change the advertiser's advertisement such that all interested parties are rerouted to the scammers' e-mail address.

We would like to point out that homegate.ch never asks you to supply your user data by e-mail.

Should you receive any conspicuous or strange e-mails, please report this to our Customer Care Centre.

You can reach us at:
0848 100 100
(Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.)
privacy@homegate.ch

Best regards
Your homegate.ch Team

I just got one of these as well.
It looked perhaps OK - CHF 1000 for a 2 bed.

But the email response had "I'm in the UK.....so will ask for a deposit by Western Union", in it

From the photos it looks like a really nice place - too nice!