You mean this thread?

Wouldnt it be great to come up with some scam to scam the scammer back.
Create a plausible situation that appears to be coming from an easy mark that appeals to his greed to get him to put in some money, or.. leads to massive embarrasment ?
I'm sure there are enough movie buffs and chess players here to come up with something clever.

I suggest www.419eater.com for a read and then ask yourself - can you ensure you will not be traced on the internet.

I would not suggest playing players - this thread is enough to warn people. There are victims the world over - and if this thread has managed to save one or more, that's good.

And two wrongs don't make a right

My bad. I should focus on grooming my kinder, more optimistics leanings.

I am horrified as this guy indeed calims that he is currently working and living Nigeria and he has invented some very odd story proposing that he has haired this apartment from his father blah blah.
There is one very pity thing about it - when I have applied I have supplied him a copy of my passport, my bank account number, other details and confirmations - can he use it against me?

vlad, talk to your bank. Ensure any security questions are not based on those personal details you've given up.

Don't be like Sarah Palin and her Yahoo! email .....

Thanks!
There is another matter - when I applied he gave me the precise address of the flat, and his family name - he claimed that no one has been living there since his father passed away; They must have the same family name - so I can just pass by and check whether this family name indeed appears on the door - and perhpas even t risk and ring for a shor inquiring...

I am briefly repeating what I have written before. So, a londlord who is claiming to be living in Nigeria offered me his apartment, he provided me the precise address and he has sent me the contract by email, and he will send me tomorrow a copy of his passport by email - anyway, he claims that he does not have a Swiss bank acount (sounds as an absurd since he claims to have a Swiss citizenship, although he said he was boen in the USA) so that is why he wants me to send the money with Western Union - to me it very looks like a scam and I am not going to send it through Western Union under any circumstances... Is there any possible way to check whether he is really renting the flat, once I get the copy of his passport?

walk away.
if you cannot do that
run away.

too many bells are ringing for me.

Vlad, it's a scam... The passport is either forged or was stolen from some poor soul, and the fact that he has no Swiss account is absurd, like you said.

You could inquire the estate owner's identity at the local land registry but what purpose would that serve if the "renter's" identity is forged anyway?

thanks for your messages! Certainly I will avoid "his offer"....

As said, I wouldn't suggest it either. However you may read this prank made to a scammer, just for the kicks

http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/

How can you know its a scam? Answer: "Nigeria" + "Western Union" always= "Scam"

I suspected there was a scam posting on craigslist (because I got the same form of reply for three seperate enquiries) so I decided I would phone a UK number provided and set up a meeting with the guy who was allegedly in Manchester. The number type was not supported by Skype however so it occurred to me that a new twist on the scam my be simply to illicit calls to a premium number!

Your next phone bill will tell...

I had a good time entertaining myself reading that website!!!

Speaking of scams, www.craigslist.ch is filled with them. I am currently on the prowl for a flat and have received a couple of emails - all with similar stories - they are abroad, not able to show me the property etc etc!

This scam also has another "flavour" and is rife in the UK too -I watched BBC's Watchdog last week :-). The potential landlord/lady asks you to transfer money via Western Union, to someone you know, just to "prove you have the funds" and send a copy of the transfer to him/her. Of course they then summon up a fake id and go and withdraw the dosh. Check out the BBC Wathdog website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/...sfer_trap.html

I few days ago while searching for an apartment on www.immoscout24.ch I came across an apartment scam. The scammer usually advertises a furnished apartment in Zurich, Geneva or Basel. After an introductory email the scammer tries to get u to make use of the “tntexpress” (www.tntexpress.07x.net ) service which does not exist! They are only trying to get desperate people to pay a deposit and then disappear…

Have you tried calling 031 744 21 11 to report this or at the very minimum sent an e-mail to info@immoscout24.ch ?

Have sent one e-mail to immoscout24 and left one "report abuse” message. Did not receive any feedback…