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This one has been happening a lot lately. What happens is that the scammer logs onto home rental sites,
copies the home information, and reposts it onto another site like Craigslist...
One problem - He posts his own
contact information instead of yours!
He sets the price really low so he can lure tons of victims into contacting him
for that sweet rental deal.
Then he comes up with some kind of nonsense about how he's on "vacation in
Africa" and that he needs you to "wire him the money" before he can send you the keys to the house.
NEVER WIRE RENT MONEY! |
So you're renting out your room or house, and you get this weird email from someone in Africa or the UK. It's
usually some pretty African model or a poor missionary that wants to rent your place.
You give them your physical
address so they can send you the money...
A week later, you receive this money order for a HUGE dollar amount. You take the money order to the bank and deposit it. The bank
confirms the money order, so you
deposit it, and all seems fine. Then the scammer says "Oops, my sponsor sent you too much money, can you please wire some of it back to Africa?"
NEVER WIRE RENT MONEY! |
This one could potentially fool a lot of people, especially if they aren't familiar with wire transfers.
The scammer says "If you want to rent my place, I need proof that you have funds. So go ahead and wire some money to YOUR
OWN friend, but just email me a copy of the receipt so I can verify that you have the funds."
The victim feels comfortable since he's wiring it to his own friend that he trusts.
What ends up happening though? The scammer takes the PASSWORD ON THE WIRE TRANSFER FORM, goes to his nearest
western union, and takes the money himself!
NEVER WIRE RENT MONEY!
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