Moneygram Scam Apartment Rental

Solved/Closed

fujisan -
mike - 25 Sep 2014 at 10:30

Here are the exchanges made with the scammer. I'm putting all of this online to prevent you from being taken in.

Be careful and good luck to everyone.

Chaplain Joel Max to me
show details Jan 16 (7 days ago)

Hello

Our apartment is still for rent and here are its
Features:

Rooms: 2 Pieces
Living area: 46 m2
Price (Monthly Rent)
Rent CHF: 1,000

DESCRIPTION:
Apartment located in a beautiful green setting in the heart of
Geneva and close to shops and schools, 2 furnished rooms on the ground floor, a
living room with kitchenette (in cupboard), a shower room with toilet, a
bedroom opening onto a garden, small private terrace facing south. The rent includes all utilities (water, electricity, heating); if you have a car, 1 parking space in the underground garage is available for an additional charge (CHF 100/month).
For 1 person or a couple (depending on your choice, negligible option), quiet. No noise in the apartment. Short or long-term stay.

LOCATION
The apartment is located in Geneva, 1211

REASON FOR RENTAL:
For work reasons, I am now in Lyon (FRANCE) for a duration of over 5 years, and my partner, being at the end of her training, is participating in a humanitarian convoy with Doctors Without Borders. So we are renting the apartment so that it does not remain empty all this time...

We are renting it for CHF 1000 (approximately 800 euros), including all charges, to ensure its occupancy during our absence. Therefore, if you are genuinely interested, please provide me with your information for an appointment.

- The following information is required for the visit:
NAME:
FIRST NAME:
MONTHLY INCOME:
LEASE DURATION:
Number of occupants:
Phone(s):

- When visiting and signing the contract, you should provide the following documents:
Front and back copies of an identity card or driver’s license
Latest payslips
A receipt for the last rent (if you are leaving a rental)
Payment of one month’s rent and one month’s deposit (2000 CHF).

NB:
I would like you to leave me the information above to arrange an appointment.
I will be waiting for your response to make a decision regarding the next steps
PS: you have attached complete views of the apartment
please respond as soon as possible
sincerely
Mr. Chaplain
----------------------------

Hello
Thank you for your quick response
I would kindly ask you to gather the necessary papers for the rental
of the apartment in addition to the
required liquidity. For the visit, I would kindly ask you to contact me
on
my number at 0033977195253 (FRANCE).
We can discuss the visit and your intent to rent the apartment, then I will go to Geneva to show you the apartment.
But since I have to make a long trip (Lyon to Geneva), I want to ensure that everything is ready on your end so that I don't make the trip in vain.
So please gather the papers and the required liquidity (2000 CHF, which is one month's rent and one month's deposit) and then call me at
0033977195253 to confirm the date of the visit (dial the full number as I communicated).
PS: if you indeed intend to rent the apartment, the visit could automatically be followed by the signing of the lease, which is why I ask you to prepare at the same time the necessary documents for the rental of the apartment.
I await your response and phone call
Thank you in advance for your understanding
sincerely
Mr. Chaplain
________________________

After some discussions, Mr. Chaplain reveals his strategy; I suspected this because the rent is a bit low compared to the market.

--------------------
Good evening sir
As I told you on the phone, you will prepare the MoneyGram transfer in the name of the company's courier, and you will keep the reference code of the transfer. It is after the visit and signing of the lease that you will give me the reference code as a payment
Here is the necessary information to prepare the transfer:
Name: ROGNANT
First Name: JEAN
Address: 17, Victor Hugo
City: AGEN
Postal code: 47000
Country: FRANCE
Type of transfer: MoneyGram
Amount to be transferred: 2000 CHF (including 75 CHF in sending fees to be deducted from the 2000 CHF)
Please email me or call me as soon as you have made this transfer and once you have the transfer receipt in hand.
PS: You can withdraw your money if the apartment does not suit you after the visit by simply going back to the money agency and handing them the transfer receipt.
I await your confirmation
Thank you in advance for your understanding
Mr. Chaplain

---------------------
I continue the discussions to see how far he wants to go; but the scam is obvious.

10 answers

Answer 1 / 10

Best answer
The best answer is the one that has been validated by our teams.
The Pianiste

I received the same guy by email last night and the email's IP is 41.222.192.100 which is located in Benin, proving that it's a scam.
42
1. Dave > Gilles
  
  Good evening,
  
  By typing the phone number, I came across this page and I see that I'm not the only one.
  
  I've dealt with this kind of scam and I immediately realized what was going on -
  
  For me, it was Arnaud Direy with the email: arnauddirey@romandie.com
  
  regarding an apartment in Nyon, Switzerland for the amount of CHF 1500.- for 119m2. for a 3.5 room apartment.
  
  0
2. Rob's
  
  Same scam: GASSAMA Damien, for a 45m² apartment in Suresnes for €750 (cheap!), email address: palais.royal01 at hotmail, phone number: 06 37 52 87 12 and 0044 70457 91710, same scenario except that mine lives in London, doesn't want to travel for nothing, wants a money gram, and speaks in an unusually literary French in France, etc.
  
  Golden rule: do not divulge too much about these personal details and never advance money, despite the enticing offers in a tight market...
  
  1
Answer 2 / 10
Mozamina

The post is old but as of today, March 10, 2014, I received EXACTLY the same emails from Benin for an apartment in Montreal, I immediately sensed the scam and cut off the discussions.
10
1. didi85
  
  Alert in France!! It's the same thing, he is in the process of resurfacing in Paris. I received an email, the same thing except that he is leaving his secondary apartment to join his family in London, lease duration 6 months to 7 years addressed in the department 92, studio for less money. I had time to give my name, my approximate income and professional/marital situation with a few details about my motivations, but an idea told me to look at his email ***@*** and I find this site.
  Can he use my information and if so, has this happened to anyone already?
  Thank you very much.
  
  0
  1. Corleone > didi85
    
    May 10, 2014 - appearance in Nice. Same strategy, same French phone number, in the name of Mr. PHILEMON Laurent. Thank you for sharing the information.
    
    0
  2. Corleone > didi85
    
    10 May 2014 - appearance in Nice. Same strategy, same French phone number, in the name of Mr. PHILEMON Laurent. Thank you for sharing the information.
    
    0
2. simolebosse
  
  The apartment is not at 74 Charlotte Street, Montreal?!
  
  0
Answer 3 / 10
Anthony63 Posted messages 3250 Status Member 1 219

I would like to try to find out where these emails come from? Scams related to ghost rentals in 99.99% of cases come from West Africa, with fast and discreet payment methods that leave no trace, such as Moneygram, Western Union, or Mandat Cash. Not to mention that they enjoy almost total impunity since it will be impossible to file a complaint against these exotic scammers.

--
Ubuntu 13.10
Firefox 26
3
1. didi85
  
  Maybe it would be enough to notify the police and before sending the warrant, inform the authorities in Benin so that when he comes to collect it, he gets caught. Since this has been going on for a long time, it’s a network to be dismantled.
  
  0
  1. Anthony63 Posted messages 3250 Status Member 1 219 > didi85
    
    It will be useless to notify the local police in Benin; the cash mandate is almost anonymous and can be withdrawn without having to present an identity card. The beneficiary just needs to write down the transferred amount and the sender's details on a piece of paper, and they can immediately collect the money.
    
    0
Answer 4 / 10
didi85

Here is the reply from the "royal palace" just arrived.. Tell me what you think!
Hello

We have just become aware of your email that was in our Spam; after reading your email as well as the information required for the visit, I must admit that your profile pleases me very much. I therefore agree to rent you our accommodation. Water, electricity, and heating are included in the charges. I can show it to you this SATURDAY 04/26/2014 at 6:30 PM. I will leave London with my wife specifically for this.

During the visit and signing of the contract, you should provide the following:

............. Copies of your ID or driver's license both sides
.............. Last salary statements
.............. A receipt of the last rent (if you are leaving a rental)
.............. The payment of one month’s rent and one month’s deposit

As explained in my previous email, I am currently in London. Therefore, you will need to come for the visit. However, to finalize the steps regarding the lease contract, one last formal requirement remains in order to ensure that you are really interested and that my trip will not be in vain given the distance because last week, I was already taken out for nothing by a lady who did not have the means to rent the apartment while she made me believe she was more than interested, and this is the third time I have moved unnecessarily. Either the interested parties are not present or their deposits are not yet ready. I am losing time and money.

As soon as you prepare your complete rental file. Regarding the security deposit, instead of being a check or other for security reasons and also to reassure me of the availability of funds, I would like it to be only a receipt via MoneyGram; that is to say, you will make the deposit of one month’s rent and the deposit which makes €710 via MoneyGram to the details of my financial advisor who will also be with me during the visit and signing of the lease, then I will present to you the title deed of my apartment as well as a copy of my national ID.

Mr. TOUSSAINT Luckson

City: Boulogne-Billancourt

COUNTRY: FRANCE

Type of mandate ...... MoneyGram

- No mistakes in the name please

This does not mean that you will send me money before the apartment visit NO!! As soon as you make the MoneyGram, the agency will issue you a postal check in the form of a payment receipt on which a secret collection code will appear that you will have to keep safely with you to secure your money. The receipt will allow you to cancel the MoneyGram and withdraw your money in case the apartment does not suit you. This is the current regulation along with the file containing the supporting documents.

NB: Establishing the MoneyGram does not mean compulsory rental or payment in advance because as long as the receipt is not handed over, the beneficiary will not be able to access the money.

On the other hand, I would like to point out that only the documents from the visit will be scanned except for this MoneyGram receipt because it contains secret information that we should not see before the visit to avoid being accused of loss. Therefore, the security deposit will be confirmed by its deposit.

On Saturday, I commit to show you the entire apartment and the rest. If after the visit, it does not suit you; you will need to contact the agency to recover your money. But otherwise, we will proceed immediately to the signing of the lease contract and the handing over of the keys to finalize the rental and you will hand me your documents along with the MoneyGram receipt for collection as payment for the first month's rent and security deposit (refundable at the end of the lease). These are in a way guarantees on my part and a reservation for yours.

PS: The MoneyGram is done at a MoneyGram Agency and not at the post office. It must be kept safely and will be handed over in person on the day of the visit, after signing the lease contract. Also, please send me a scan of the visit documents and confirm the MoneyGram deposit 24 hours before the day of the visit, either Thursday or Friday, so that we can make the arrangements to be at the appointment without fail.

Furthermore, it is important to inform the agency that the MoneyGram is being done to a relative or friend. This way, the sending fees you will have to pay will be flat rate. But if you say it is a rental on the internet, sending fees can cost three times more.

I tell you this to help you incur fewer fees at MoneyGram since they will be reimbursed when you visit.

Looking forward to meeting you!

To contact me, please call 07 85 85 87 90 or 0044 70457 91710

The holding of the appointment will depend on your willingness.

!!!!!!!!!! So what do you say ??!
3
1. Anthony63 Posted messages 3250 Status Member 1 219
  
  You cut all contact with this scammer; he doesn’t live in London but probably in Abidjan or Cotonou, and if he has a property to rent out, he does like everyone else and goes through a serious agency with experience and a physical presence. It’s not more complicated than that.
  
  0
2. mike
  
  I am an African living in Europe and it really embarrasses me to see what my peers do on the internet because I receive scam emails every day myself. So friends, be very careful and think about it because any money transferred to a stranger should be suspicious.
  Have a good day...
  
  0
Answer 5 / 10
l'embrouille 75 Posted messages 5302 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 1 859

Hi,
And this => that you will have to keep jealously with you in order to secure your money. The receipt will allow you .
Is it honey from the Vosges ????
Ah those stupid scammers, they always get caught with their favorite expression!!
See you +

--
Ubuntu 13.04 Firefox 21/ Magela 3 Opera 12.15
Always think carefully before acting
2
1. Afrikarnak Posted messages 17653 Registration date Status Contributor Last intervention 14 520
  
  Re:
  
  I didn't even read it all because this recurring drivel makes me sick..
  
  It's clearly a beginner who just copies and pastes, not even capable of formatting the text to make it less 'obvious'..
  
  A lazy person without imagination or creativity who deserves a GOOD slap..
  
  See you!
  
  0
2. elle
  
  I believe I just stumbled upon the same type of scam; for me, reading that is a stop sign – the guy doesn’t want a check or cash, just payment via MoneyGram, well come on.
  
  This is a rental in Paris.
  
  Here’s the copy-paste:
  
  After reading your email and the required information for the visit, I must admit that your profile pleases me enormously. I therefore agree to rent this apartment to you. Water, electricity, and heating are included in the charges. I can show it to you on SATURDAY, July 5, 2014, at 6 PM. I will be leaving Belgium specially for that.
  
  During the visit and signing of the lease, you should provide the following:
  
  * A copy of your identity card or driver's license (front and back)
  * Latest pay slips (if you are already working)
  * A receipt of the last rent (if you are leaving a home)
  * Latest tax assessments (optional)
  * The security deposit of one month’s rent and one month’s caution (1350 euros VAT included)
  
  Please read my email carefully before asking any questions.
  
  As explained in my previous email, I am currently in Belgium. Therefore, you will need to travel for the visit. However, to finalize the steps regarding the lease contract, there is one last formality to be completed to ensure that you are truly interested and that my trip will not be in vain given the distance, as last week I was already made to travel for nothing by a lady who could not afford to rent the apartment yet made me believe she was more than interested, and this has happened three times that I have traveled unnecessarily. Either the interested parties are not present or their check is not yet ready. I am therefore losing time and money.
  
  From this moment on, you should prepare your complete rental file. Regarding the security deposit, instead of being via check or other means for security reasons and also to reassure me of the availability of funds, I would like it to be a MoneyGram receipt only; that is, you will go to make the deposit of one month’s rent and the security deposit totaling 1350€ via MoneyGram to my details below, then I will present you with the deed of ownership of my apartment.
  
  Mr ....
  
  City: 75 Paris
  
  COUNTRY: FRANCE
  
  Deposit type ...... Moneygram
  
  - No mistakes in the name, please
  
  This does not mean that you are going to send me money before visiting the property, NO!! It is simply a deposit with reimbursement that assures me without the slightest doubt that you want to rent my apartment and that you will be there for the appointment.
  
  As soon as you complete the MoneyGram, the cashier will give you a slip in the form of a payment receipt on which appears an essential reference number for withdrawing the deposited funds that you will keep carefully with you to secure your money. This receipt will allow you to cancel the Western Union and withdraw your money in case my apartment does not suit you. This is the applicable regulation accompanied by the file with the supporting documents.
  
  I do not want cash or bank checks. I have an account with the postal bank, and my account manager advised me to use MoneyGram instead of a bank check or cash to transfer the money to my account as soon as you communicate the withdrawal reference number to me.
  
  NB: Establishing the MoneyGram is not synonymous with mandatory rental or payment in advance (No commitment on your part), because as long as the receipt is not handed over, no one will be able to access the deposited money.
  
  On the other hand, I specify that only the documents from the visit will be scanned except for the Western Union receipt because it contains secret information that I should not see before the visit to avoid being accused of loss. Thus, the security deposit will be confirmed by its deposit after its effectiveness followed by its availability.
  
  I commit to showing you the entire property. If after the visit, it no longer suits you, you will approach MoneyGram to retrieve your money. But otherwise, we will proceed immediately to the signing of the lease and handing over the keys to conclude the rental, and you will give me your documents as well as the MoneyGram for cashing the deposited funds in lieu of the payment of the first month’s rent and the security deposit. This is, in a way, a guarantee on my part and a reservation for yours.
  
  I must also remind you that at the end of your lease, your security deposit will be returned to you after carrying out the inventory again.
  
  PS: Please send me the scanned documents from the visit and confirm the MoneyGram deposit 48 hours before the day of the visit, that is this THURSDAY, so I can make my arrangements to be at the appointment without fail.
  
  Note well!!!: It is important to inform MoneyGram that the sending is to friends or relatives. This way, the sending fees you will have to incur will be flat-rate. But if you say it is a security deposit for renting an apartment, the sending fees can cost three times more.
  I tell you this to help you incur fewer fees at MoneyGram since they will be reimbursed during the visit.
  
  Looking forward to meeting you!
  
  To reach me, please call....
  Mr ...
  
  0
Answer 6 / 10
l'embrouille 75 Posted messages 5302 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 1 859

Hello,
And this => , I am currently in Belgium. !!!!!
Another Belgian who has expatriated to CI !!!!
And the best is yet to come:
I have an account at La Banque Postale and my account manager advised me to use Moneygram
And then:
However, I must specify that only the documents from the visit will be scanned except for the Western Union receipt
This idiot doesn't even know how to set up a scheme properly!!!
Another one who is just starting in scamming!!!
See you later

--
Ubuntu 13.04 Firefox 21/ Magela 3 Opera 12.15
Always think carefully before acting
2
Answer 7 / 10
youpilala

Great, thank you very much! I was about to get caught by the same guy for another ad of the same kind.
1
Answer 8 / 10
Eiyu

Same as you Rob's, except for the email of course. For an apartment in Asnières F2 41m2 500€ (even cheaper! ^^)
Mr. Bernard ALEXANDRE same number. I just received his lease acceptance email (way too quick) asking me to pay by Moneygram. Since I don't know this method, I just typed "moneygram scam?" and I came across this forum. So I cut the discussion short. Thank goodness we think a bit, even when we think we've found a good deal!! ...Pff, what we have to see and hear is incredible! It's amazing what humans are capable of doing...
He can't do anything with the information he asks for, by the way? phone salary profession... without sending the documents of course. Nor with the email address? (you never know)
1
1. Elise56
  
  Hello, I'm wondering if I'm not experiencing the same scam for an apartment in Düsseldorf. The offer is very tempting, a guy who just left Germany to return to England in a hurry because he found a job there, and who is proposing to rent me his apartment without really asking for much information about me. I would need to make a MoneyGram transfer, and he would send me the keys via DHL. When I asked if he has any friends still in Germany to show me the place, he avoided my question :)
  
  I would like to try to find out where these emails are coming from. He hasn't given me his number yet, how can we find the IP address of an email?
  
  Thanks
  
  0
  1. l'embrouille 75 Posted messages 5302 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 1 859 > Elise56
    
    Hi,
    Yeah, well for the IP, you can already forget it, these guys use free @, so you’ll only have the server location.
    As for coughing up through Moneygram, you’d be better off going to a nice restaurant, or hanging out with friends, or even SAVING YOUR CASH !!!
    That'll save you from believing in Santa Claus !!!!!!!!!!
    Catch you later.
    
    0
2. Afrikarnak Posted messages 17653 Registration date Status Contributor Last intervention 14 520
  
  Hello Elise..
  
  Well-known scenario.. The apartment doesn't exist, but the scammer is very real..
  You should never pay before visiting and being assured that it's really the owner.. Ask him why he didn't go through an agency then..
  
  We don't feel this deal at all..
  
  If the phone number is something like +44 70x xxxx (FLEXTEL) then the scam will be confirmed 100%.
  
  See you later.
  
  0
3. Elise56
  
  Thanks for the replies!!
  
  Yes, I actually asked him why he didn't go through an agency, because I felt from the beginning that it was a scam, and I'm still waiting for his response... and I think I'll ask him for his phone number just for laughs :)
  
  0
4. Enevy
  
  I'm glad I checked online; this MoneyGram story seemed suspicious to me... I must admit it's a shame because the apartments offered are really nice for cheap, of course. It's just horrible to do something like that...
  As for me, the two apartments are located in Montpellier, and the email addresses are ***@*** and the other: ***@***.
  I hope this will help others in the same situation not to get taken advantage of.
  
  0
Answer 9 / 10
l'embrouille 75 Posted messages 5302 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 1 859

Hi,
Everything is summarized here => 0044 70457 91710
Flextel block, redirecting calls (SURCHARGES) to any point in the globe.
(Randomly in West Africa)
Favorite tool of scammers who want to pretend they are in the UK.
See you later

--
Ubuntu 13.04 Firefox 21/ Magela 3 Opera 12.15
Always think carefully before acting
1
Answer 10 / 10
Afrikarnak Posted messages 17653 Registration date Status Contributor Last intervention Ambassador 14 520

Hello

'I am currently in London', that's all that needs to be said!!

SCAM from a little beginner..

See you!
1

Moneygram Scam Apartment Rental

10 answers

Mouse that isn’t working properly

Bluetooth wi‑fi access point not working

Laptop battery: some useful settings

Whatsapp installation impossible

Texture issues in enshrouded

The volume level on my acer is insufficient.

Lost access to the site admin!

My pc boots into bios with windows 11

Google tests a new homepage for its search engine: ai is coming to the front!