Passport number I understand but Nationality ID number..???

Oh well, at least he didn't request your PIN code and account number from your bank account..

I thought it is the number of the national idendity card.

I am a bit afraid they can use it for steal my identity! they my name, address, passport number... recently I have seen a reportage of this kind of fraud.

Is there someone who has been in this case?
What can I do? Go to the police?

I am a bit afraid they can use it for steal my identity! they my name, address, passport number... recently I have seen a reportage of this kind of fraud.

Is there someone who has been in this case?
What can I do? Go to the police?

Scammity scam

Why do you care so much?

I'm not sure what they can do with that information. Others would know better. It would depend on your nationality I suppose. The Swiss police may be able to advise you to some degree, or your embassy, as this scam is quite common.

But I guess you haven't sent any money yet? Or any bank account info? So, don't send anything and cease contact with the people. They will probably bug you for some time to come, as they got a "tug on the line" (a possible victim) and will want to follow up to get the money. Just ignore it.

Hmm.. My niece got scammed like this in London last year.. Lost £1000... Western Union will tell you it's not their problem and that's the last you'll hear of it.

It's unlikely the scammer will be in contact with you ever again.. After all, what they're doing is illegal.. The whole point of this is that they don't WANT to be found..

I would discuss identity fraud with your bank if there were enough details on your communications for them to "become you" in any way.. Swiss banks are among the safest in the world though, so you will probably be ok.

I would like to describe a weired thing that happed some days back...indeed weird considering it happed in Switzerland.

I was looking for 2.5 apartment in Zurich and exploring is some swiss websites for potential landlords/real estate agents.I also advertised for my requirement in some sites......after some days the trap started.

I got an email(I will describe the one in discussion..though I got 4 such types) giving full details of an apartment in zurich area,pictures,address and house owner full information. The guy told me that he is a swiss and is in UK for some time as his church moved there(dont know how it is...) which I humbly accepted. He then asked my details and requirement which I provided proactively....Then we started discussing the lease as I really liked the appartemt since it was located close to my work and was really cheap (1450 CHF). Everything was finalized and then I demanded to visit the apartment personally before making any payment..not guys listen to the trap which followed..

He told me (on phone....he called me several time with a UK number) - "I cant view the apartment form inside since the keys to the apartment is with him in UK..what I can do is to go to that address and see the apartment form outside"...it sounded very strange for me and then I knew that am getting in some trap..just to make sure I pretended that am as innocent as he want..I asked him a solution..he said "He can send me the house keys by DHL to me but even before that I have to send him 1450+1 month deposite"..i debame delighted on my cunningness....

One important point that I noted was...he was always insisting to get payed only by "western union money transfer" and no other way.......(guys do any one know about it..is WUMT is so save for crookes ?)

Anyways, after his 14 calls on my cell phone, he gave up and finally he send me pictures of 4 keys on my email and asked me to atleast give him 100CHF so that he can ship the keys.....I knew from where the picture came,.....I just wnet im google image and searched "apartment keys" and the second picture was there which I got on email.......

I ended the story by shouting at that guy when he called me for the last time...but guys I felt very sad to see such type of traps lying in Switzerland.

In totality I got 5 such emails and more or less everyone wanted me to deposit 1 month rent and 1 month deposit in WUMT account....

BE CAREFULL !!!!!!!!!!!

I had the same situation, the funny thing that the 3 emails i got were all the same apartment (unorganized gang i guess!!).

This is not a Switzerland thing, these are Nigerians living in the UK who run this business all across the globe (Try to require apartment in Miami, you'll get at least couple of hundreds emails like that)

and the sad thing is that people actually fall for these scams

Hi Guys,
We looked for an apartment using immostreet.ch and we received the following e-mails after sending an initial message showing interest. This is apparently a common apartment deposit scam and we found out from this site.

http://forum.escrow-fraud.com/viewto...6191b&start=20

We obviously provided no sensitive info, other than our names and contact numbers in our first message. We found it a little dodgy that the person provided little info, and was willing to rent so lucidly. Just a friendly warning to all others.

First e-mail:
" Hello ,

My name is Martha Alexander and I received your email of interest for the rental of my apartment located in Zeltweg 83, 8032 Zürich.
I am a research engineer for a pharmaceutical company and I bought the apartment while working on a 4 year contract in Switzerland as an alternative to renting . I the only owner of the apartment , the apartment is paid in full and with no legal problems . The apartment is not inhabited since I am no longer living in Switzerland .You could be my second tenants .
My intention is to rent the apartment 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 my apartment,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 apartment is the one in the pictures but the furniture has been moved into my private storage room . If you don't have furniture I can take it back with no extra costs for you .
The rent for 1 month is 1350 Chf (for the entire apartment) including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, private washing machine). You can rent the flat for any period of time (open end contract).
About myself, I am 44 years old and as I told you I am a research engineer for pharmaceutical products , currently living in Liverpool , my home town .
You can move in the apt in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m already in Liverpool 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,
Martha Alexander"

Second E-mail:
"Hi XXXXX,

Thank you very much for your reply and for your willingness to rent the apartment . I agree to rent the apartment to you if you are still interested , of course . I promise you that you will love the place .
Of course you will have to see the apartment before discussing any other details because you can't rent an apartment that you haven't seen . Since I removed the furniture from the apartment I am willing to send you the keys so you can visit it and see if you like it or not .
The delivery for the keys (apartment keys , inter-phone , alarm) and viewing permit (signed by me) , will be made through an authorized courier and using a Moneybookers Escrow Account to make sure that we can trust each other .
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.

Martha Alexander"

Final E-mail
"Hi again,

The viewing procedure using the Moneybookers escrow blocked account involves 3 parties : me as the home owner , you as the prospective tenant and Moneybookers as a licensed third party responsible for good development of the transaction .
The Moneybookers Escrow Blocked account is like the blocked account where you pay the damage deposit when you rent an apartment except that instead of a bank we will use Moneybookers .Of course , nobody can touch this money until you return the keys .
The value of the deposit is equal to the first month of rent and must be paid for the activation of the Blocked Account .
The delivery for the package will be made using an authorized courier like Pegasus , DHL , Federal Express , UPS and the package will be sent by Moneybookers to your home address .
You must know that in case the keys in the package shall not correspond to the apartment keys you will receive three times the value of the security deposit from Moneybookers out of my Security Deposit fund that I have with Moneybookers .
In order to initiate the procedure I will need the following information from you :
-Shipping address (address where you want the package to be delivered) and the name of the receiver
-Arrival Schedule ( when you will be home to receive the package and sign for the receipt)
-Telephone number in case of any emergencies .
You have 14 days to inspect the apartment since the arrival date .
If you want to keep the apartment I will set up the open end (3 month notice) mietvertrag from here with your information , I will sign it and I will send it to you .
You have to sign it and send it back to me .
-If you do not keep the apartment, you give the keys/contract back to moneybookers and you collect the security deposit .
This will be in writing in the moneybookers contract I will sign.
The MoneyBookers fees will be paid by me when i will initiate the procedure, you will have to pay for the money transfer fees when you will have to pay the moneybookers agent.
I will wait your soon reply and if you agree, i will need your full name, shipping address and your daytime phone number and i will initiate the moneybookers transaction.

Thanks again for your time and look forward to hear from you soon.

Martha Alexander"

It looks like the scammers are working both sides. We just listed our apartment on some Swiss websites and have received some really strange requests for friendship and financial assistance from people in far away countries. One woman even included a photo to encourage assistance. I sure hope that my husband didn't open the attachment to take a peek!

Hello,

I am new here, so I want to post some scam examples who pretend to pay via Western Union the deposit fee and first month fee.
I wasn't scammed but waste valuable time with this issues. I tracked the IPs on non gmail accounts. Gmail thru browser sent messages can not track because google hide the loacation IP.

Here are the templates:
1.
On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 8:02 PM, radine rapit <radine.rapit@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks for showing interest, my apartment is fully furnished living
room TV, DVD, internet connection, central heating, air conditioning
with good fixed line and new kitchen that has modern amenities such as
microwave, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher provided, washer, electric
hob and cutlery.The 1 bedroom apartment with one bathroom and toilet,
a room will cost you 600euros per month and a to 900euros deposit
payment,which is paid back at the end of the contract then the
accounts include all costs, including water, gas, electricity and
internet . MR RAPIT ,I am from Zurich,just move to, Liverpool, with my
wife and son for longterm contract in a reputable organization here in
Liverpool .
Since the term period of the extenant is terminated, so I'm renting it
out to someone responsible, trustworthy, reliable, clean and tidy,
which can be very good for my apartment when I am away and trust you
will do that for me?.
The apartment is located at Rämi-Strasse 80, 8001 Zürich) one minutes
walk, there are several tram and bus stopsDistance to: Dam 1 km
University 1km park 1 km Central Station 2 km Shopping and
supermarkets 1km Living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.
I will have to confirm your serious towards apartment and we reaching
an agreement before coming to view and handover the property to you
and the keys. So I would like you to understand me, because I always
have been hunted by fake tenant who caused me to wasted time and money
for nothing and never show upTherefore, if you agree with the
conditions specified below,you're free to response immediately, so we
can continue the contract ...
But if you disagree with the conditions stated in this email you can
ignored my mail and looking for another apartment. So if you're
serious and ready, also agree with the terms and conditions, please
answer me as soon as possible, so can arrange how to finalize the
contract and handling over the keys,after i might have receiving your
full payment and signed contract documents, so you are able to move in
at your own convenience.

CAREFULLY READ AND DIGEST well: CONDITIONS:
1.Party 's agreed very well taken care of the apartment. 2.Parties
agreed not to use the premises public company. 3.Pet allowed.
4.Party 's down payment do and acknowledge receipt to me or my lawyer
to prove his / her severity towards the agreement before in.
5.Party 's agreed to stay in the apartment with a maximum of 4 tenants.
6.Party 's agreed not to make unnecessary noise which might disturb
other neighborhood.
Therefore, if you agree to these terms, please reply me immediately
with your information details such as
Full name: CURRENT ADDRESS:
DATE OF BIRTH:
PASSPORT ID NUMBER:
NATIONALITY ID NUMBER:
GENDER:
TELEPHONE: DATE in and out:
Let me the above details so it can be forwarded to my lawyer for your
contract documents,it will be signed by both of us and my lawyer also
sign and seal the contract to prepare as witness, for good legal
document ation.Hope to read your fast.Regards,blessDaniel. 4
attachments— 1.jpg (1.87 Kb)Viewone minutes walk, there are several
tram and bus stopsDistance to: Dam 1 km University 1km park 1 km
Central Station 2 km Shopping and supermarkets 1km Living room,
bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.
I will have to confirm your serious towards apartment and we reaching
an agreement before coming to view and handover the property to you
and the keys. So I would like you to understand me, because I always
have been hunted by fake tenant who caused me to wasted time and money
for nothing and never show upTherefore, if you agree with the
conditions specified below,you're free to response immediately, so we
can continue the contract ...
But if you disagree with the conditions stated in this email you can
ignored my mail and looking for another apartment. So if you're
serious and ready, also agree with the terms and conditions, please
answer me as soon as possible, so can arrange how to finalize the
contract and handling over the keys,after i might have receiving your
full payment and signed contract documents, so you are able to move in
at your own convenience.
contract documents,it will be signed by both of us and my lawyer also
sign and seal the contract to prepare as witness, for good legal
documentation.Hope to read your fast..
radine rapit

reply message:
HELLO,
I have attached copies of the contract documents and also some pictures of the apartment for
you to go through it and sign so that i can forward it to my lawyer and we could talk about the refundable
security deposit.Hope to hear from you ASAP.

2.

Hello,

The Flat is located at irisstrasse 10,8032,Zurich. 20meter to the
central
station,the FLat is security oriented,because the room is with a living
room,that is furnished with modern facilities,there is a
telephone,internet
and also heating,in the house,the cost for the apartment is 700CHF
include
(water,internet,electricity) with a Deposit fee of 1000CH.

The apartment include Appliances and furniture:
Refrigerator
Washer
Vitro-ceramic
Microwave
Extractor hood
TV
Basic Cookware
1 beds
1 sofa
2 arm chairs
1 coffee table
1 shelf of
2 shelves white
1 lamps white table


The tenant commit to:
- only use the room as a residence
- not sublet the room or transfer the tenancy to anyone else
- take good care of the room
- report eventual damages to the landlord at once
- respect and follow the rules and regulations the landlord is obliged
to
follow in respect to the property holder.
- leave the room tidy and clean as well as to hand over all gate and
door
keys to the room at the end of the tenancy, even if the keys has
been acquired by the tenant.
- be responsible for loss of or damage to furniture or fittings as
well as for defects and damages to the room and common areas resulting
from
the tenants cause, through neglect or careless behavior. The
tenant is to be held responsible even if loss or damage has been caused
by
his or her friends, members of family, guests, lodgers or persons
undertaking work on behalf of the tenant in the room. The tenant is not
responsible for defects and damages resulting from normal usage.
When the tenant is to move out of the room both parties undertake to
inspect and draw up an inspection protocol where eventual losses,
defects or
damages are duly noted. It shall be evident from the inspection protocol
whether or not both parties agree to the findings. It shall also be
noted in
the protocol how eventual losses, defects or damages are to be
compensated.
The inspection protocol shall be drawn up in two identical copies, each
signed by both parties, of which the landlord and tenant have
each taken one copy.

If you agree with the above Tenant/Responsibility and obligation,kindly
inform me when you decided to take the room. I.E: Your moving out date
and
also your moving in date.

When next you're replying my mail,kindly reply back with your picture
and
any means of identification,preferable is your INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT,or
your student ID
card,i need this in order to stop internet scam,am sorry for asking
this,have been fooled by fake tenant.
Thanks await to hear from you soon.

reply message with the payment details to a bank account:

Hello,

The Bank details to use in sending the money is as follow
ACCOUNT NAME:FLASH LTD
BANKE NAME:NATWEST BANK
ADDRESS:FISHERGATE BRANCH,PRESTON,LANCASHIRE.
ACCOUNT NUMBER:65429591
SORT CODE: 01-67-14
IBAN:GB42NWBK01671465429591
BIC:NWBKGB2L

Below are my personal information:

Full Name: Guinand Maxence
Current address: 345 Mt Pleasant, Liverpool, 5UX L3, United Kingdom
Current Employer:Swiss Airline
Personal identity nr:UK120101277
Gender: Male
Phone: +44702452698
E-mail address: maxengand@gmx.de

3.

On Mar 21, 2010, at 10:29 PM, scott welton wrote:

Thanks for showing interest, my apartment is fully furnished living
room TV, DVD, internet connection, central heating, air conditioning
with good fixed line and new kitchen that has modern amenities
such as
microwave, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher provided, washer, electric
hob and cutlery.The 1 bedroom apartment with one bathroom and
toilet,
a room will cost you ch 650 erous per month and a to ch900 euros For
deposit payment,which is paid back at the end of the contract then
the
accounts include all costs, including water, gas, electricity and
internet . MR RAPIT ,
there are several tram and bus stopsDistance to: Dam 1 km University
1km park 1 km Central Station 2 km Shopping and supermarkets 1km
Living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.
I will have to confirm your serious towards apartment and we
reaching
an agreement before coming to view and handover the property to you
and the keys. So I would like you to understand me, because I always
have been hunted by fake tenant who caused me to wasted time and
money
for nothing and never show upTherefore, if you agree with the
conditions specified below,you're free to response immediately, so
we
can continue the contract ...
But if you disagree with the conditions stated in this email you can
ignored my mail and looking for another apartment. So if you're
serious and ready, also agree with the terms and conditions, please
answer me as soon as possible, so can arrange how to finalize the
contract and handling over the keys,after i might have receiving
your
full payment and signed contract documents, so you are able to
move in
at your own convenience.

CAREFULLY READ AND DIGEST well: CONDITIONS:
1.Party 's agreed very well taken care of the apartment. 2.Parties
agreed not to use the premises public company. 3.Pet allowed.
4.Party 's down payment do and acknowledge receipt to me or my
lawyer
to prove his / her severity towards the agreement before in.
5.Party 's agreed to stay in the apartment with a maximum of 4
tenants.
6.Party 's agreed not to make unnecessary noise which might disturb
other neighborhood.
Address:166 Fellenbergstrasse, Zürich, 8047
Therefore, if you agree to these terms, please reply me immediately
with your information details such as
Full name:
CURRENT ADDRESS:
DATE OF BIRTH:
GENDER:
TELEPHONE:
DATE in and out:
Let me the above details so it can be forwarded to my lawyer for
your
contract documents,it will be signed by both of us and my lawyer
also
sign and seal the contract to prepare as witness, for good legal
document ation.Hope to read your fast.Regards,blessDaniel. 4
attachments— 1.jpg (1.87 Kb)Viewone minutes walk, there are
several
tram and bus stopsDistance to: Dam 1 km University 1km park 1 km
Central Station 2 km Shopping and supermarkets 1km Living room,
bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.
I will have to confirm your serious towards apartment and we
reaching
an agreement before coming to view and handover the property to you
and the keys. So I would like you to understand me, because I always
have been hunted by fake tenant who caused me to wasted time and
money
for nothing and never show upTherefore, if you agree with the
conditions specified below,you're free to response immediately, so
we
can continue the contract ...
But if you disagree with the conditions stated in this email you can
ignored my mail and looking for another apartment. So if you're
serious and ready, also agree with the terms and conditions, please
answer me as soon as possible, so can arrange how to finalize the
contract and handling over the keys,after i might have receiving
your
full payment and signed contract documents, so you are able to
move in
at your own convenience.

contract documents,it will be signed by both of us and my lawyer
also
sign and seal the contract to prepare as witness, for good legal
documentation.Hope to read your fast..
TIM

reply message:

Hello,

go through the contract and i will want you to fix a date when we
could meet because i have a tight schedule,so am giving you my details
to send me the dpeosit to secure the apartment,i will be expecting the
money through western union transfer,so use this details to send me
the deposit:

Name:Scott Welton
Address:23 Montpelier Vale, SE3 0TJ.
City: london s
Country :UK
Zip code:SE3 0TJ
Amount sending: 900CHF


When you get this done,so i'll be expecting this details from and also
the reciept of the transcation

Senders Name:
MTCN Number(MONEY TRANSFER CONTROL NUMBER):
Amount sent:


I await your reply asap and let me have the receipt of the payment
Await to hear from you soon

Regards
hope will hepl
Dacian

Thanks a lot Aquanexus for this.

I have received same emails (first 2) from Ms. Martha Alexander :-)) All today :-))

Unfortunately i shared my informtion with her like names and also teh references. Woudl be interesting whether i received the thirsd one too.

Cheers,
Shrineha

avoid this tipe of email:

Hallo tut, Zuerst von allen Es mir Leid für die späte Antwort aber ich habe viel gehabt zu arbeiten und dies ist die Zeit, die ich Ihnen eine Nachricht geben könnte. Von der Stelle fügen Sie, hinzu könnten Sie sehen, den die Wohnung sich in befunden hat: Zollstrasse 6, der Zürich von 8005, Schweiz. Es hat 2 Schlafzimmer, 1 Badezimmer, 1 Küche. Ich suche jemanden, in ihm zu leben, sobald möglich, weil meine Firma die Auktion für ein Projekt gewonnen hat, in Konstruktion, für ein Gebäude, das sich in Italien, Milano erheben wird. Ich bin ein ziviler Ingenieur, damit meine Anpassung Periode in Italien ungefähr 4 Jahre sein wird. Die Vermietung Periode ist von 2 Monaten upto 4 Jahre. Infolge dieses will ich, für diese Periode, an diesem Preis und auch mieten, die perfekte Person für meine Wohnung zu finden. I`m der Eigentümer vom geeigneten und es ist wie im pics. Die Wohnung ist ausgestattet, aber ich habe die Option, von meine ganzen Möbel in Aufbewahrung zu schicken, wenn Sie Ihr eigenes (keinen Aufpreis) bringen wollen. Die Miete ist für 1 Monat 750CHF, aber Sie müssen, 1500CHF zu deponieren,/ zuerst 2 Monate an Miete (für die ganze Wohnung) einschließlich aller Nützlichkeiten (Wasser, Elektrizität, Internet, Kabel, Parken, gewöhnend Luft, Kamin, Geschirrspüler, Müllverfügung, Mikrowelle, Kühlschrank). Sie können das geeignete im gleichen Tag einziehen, wenn Sie die Tasten empfangen. Das einzige Problem ist, dass I`m die einzige Person die die Tasten hat, aber ich hoffe, dass wir eine Lösung finden werden. Vielen Dank für Ihr Interesse und ich werde mich auf Gehör von Ihnen bald freuen.

Viel Glück, Pete Halle
Bitte erzählt mich, wenn dies ist, was Sie ist, sucht der und mein einziges antwortet, wenn Sie sich wahrheitsgemäß für die Wohnung interessieren

Hello,
Thank you for your reply but the matter is that I'm in Milano already. Like I have inform you before, the price you shall pay for 2 months of rent will be 1500CHF, with no extra taxes to pay. The money, I want to revive it monthly to my bank account, so I hope it will be no problem for you to wire the money to my bank account. The apartment is ready for you, you will need only to receive the keys and the contract to check it, and see if you like it.
Obviously we need a way to complete this deal, that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are after. In order of that I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 2 days, if you move fast as well. The solution is provided by a company called MoneyBookers which is similar to FedEx or UPS, Escrow which will handle both payment and delivery of the Keys.
I have found a procedure that will allow you to pay for the rent of the apt only after you will receive the keys of it and through this way you will see it and decide if you will stay in the apt or not before I receive my payment. 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: http://www.moneybookers.com/app/help.pl?s=auction
Let me know if you are interested please because I really need to take care of this matter.
Thanks

Traking the ip, message was from Germany, Marburg

Cheers!

What's so surprising about this being a scam ? The only thing surprising is that people are still gullable enough to even consider it being plausible.

contact the police as this a scam shows a nice apartment and for very reasonable rent the guy will use your info for other scams so its best to tell the police and give them the numbers he gave you also.

You don't think that the ploice got more important things to do ?

I recently got excited by an apartment listing on craigslist Zurich. It was a similar situation, 650CHF a month for a 2BR in Dietikon.

I am still smarting from the realisation that I was almost played by a scam artist. Luckily, my fiancee pointed out how obviously fraudulant the guy was before I sent out any money. She's a keeper.

I guess that when it's too good to be true, it's just too good to be true.

I got an email the other day from a Nigerian who wants to give me $25,000,000. All I have to do is give them all my details...

I wonder whether that's a scam???

In these days of the internet people seem to lose their common sense.. If you're moving to a new country, take your common sense with you. You may not be able to see a flat before you move into it, but that doesn't mean that you should stop thinking.. If you can't see a flat before you move in, do at least have the common sense to do some research on the "escrow" service you're being asked to use, a quick Google for "Fraud" and "Moneybookers" for example..

If it looks or sounds fishy, tell them that you're uncomfortable using that service.. After all, they will know where to find you, in the flat you're moving to, but if you even get close to handing over money, they can disappear in an instant.. It doesn't take much to use a botnet computer as a proxy to send out your fraudulent stuff.. Picking up the IP is probably useless, it'll probably lead back to a computer infected with a rootkit or a virus or something.