Owners don't be scammed! Be Aware and Alert!
Scam artists pose as potential renters everyday on many different "by owner" websites.
Why? Because it works!
At Paradise Properties by Owner, we are disgusted by this fraudulent activity and will do everything in our power to prevent it.
Knowledge is your best defense. We have been
in touch with the United States Secret Service and several banks to seek their advice.
We also thank the many owners who recounted their personal experiences to help us compile this information.
Before we continue it is important to know that Cashier's Checks, Money Orders, Certified Checks, as well as Personal Checks can be forged. Always go to your bank first to verify any check if you are in doubt and wait for funds to clear before you return money or rent your property! These scammers are pretty sophisticated. Sometimes even the banks are fooled by these bogus documents, until they try to collect the funds. Asking for payments by Credit Card will deter many fraudulent rental leads.
If you think you have been contacted by a Scammer, we recommend that you do not respond to the sender at all. You may always report any suspicious email to our Staff using the contact form.
If you have received a forged check, the United States Secret Service would like for you to
contact them in the state where you have received the check. To find your local office
go to: United States Secret Service Directory of Field Offices.
If we all work together, these scams will not succeed!
Sincerely,
The Owners and Staff of www.ppbo.com
Scam Warning Signs and Examples
Please read the following WARNING SIGNS and EXAMPLES of potential scams. Note that a fraudulent rental lead may exhibit only one or possibly none of these warning signs at first. Anytime the term "check" is used below it refers to any type of payment other than cash or credit.
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WARNING: The potential renter's check comes from an underdeveloped or third world
country but some are coming from developed countries as well. It can take a bank up to 8
weeks to verify funds from a check coming from a remote bank or account. Normally, a bank
can verify funds from a check in about 2 weeks when it is coming from a developed country.
There have been several recent accounts of this scam coming from developed countries in
Europe also. Take precautions with all rental leads and remain alert!
SOLUTION: Let the potential renter know that their check must clear before they may rent your property.
EXAMPLE: Hello, I am a consultant with a U.K based Organisation. I am presently based in Africa (Nigeria), with a Subsidiary of the Company. I am interested in renting your Apartment for my Annual Leave which coicindentally falls within the period of Our 10th Year Wedding Anniversary and We Intend spending that in your city, God's willing I will be making the trip with my Husband and Eldest Son. So I will like to know the followings: Is the Abode is availiable for rent?. What is the Cost of the Rental for 4 mounts ?. What is the total package for the rentals(in terms Facilities and so on)?. What is the Method of Payment for the Rental?. We are Non-Smoker and have no pets either Please I need you to get back to me with answers to the above enquiry and also your Contact Information(Names Address And Telephone Number), inother for me to get back to my Boss, so as to start working on this in time for our arrival. I will be looking forward to hear from you soon. Thanks.
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WARNING: For whatever reason given, the potential renter wants to send you a check
for a large sum of money in excess of the rent due. They may give one of the following
reasons why they have this "suspiciously large" check to send: wedding gift, honeymoon,
payment from a trust fund, bonus from their employer, or gift of another type. If you
deposit this check they will ask you to wire the difference back to them immediately.
You may be hounded and possibly threatened to return the excess funds. Keep in mind that a
bad check may also be for the exact amount due. SOLUTION: Let the potential renter know that you will only accept a check for the exact amount of the rent due and that their check must clear before they may rent your property.
EXAMPLE: Thanks for the e mail response so far. however i have contacted my client who will be issuing you the payment and he has promise to do so immediatly.
Please note that he has promise to issue out the payment in the amount he his owing me so please kindly do me this favour as soon as you receive the payment.
Make sure you cash the check, deduct the house fee and send the left-over so i can use it to book for me and my coming flight ticket to the home and aslo use in purchasing things needed for our hooney-moon at the home throughout our stay.
Please do let me know if this is okay by so i can instruct him to hasten up with the payment.
I await your mail response soonest
EXAMPLE: Thank you very much for your business relationship as regards my willingness
to rent your apartment.
I will like to informed you that we have the require funds to pay for the
rent apartment, i will want you to do a favour?but the problems is
that we have forward all our correspondence to our funding associate in
USA which is charge in transfering the neccessary funds to you. I would
prefer $575 for a weekly.
At this moment we want to plead with to kindly co operate and understand
our pligth,the total expenditure funds shall be forward to you as check,but
aboved the requsted amount as in case we stay beyond the desire duration
as that is the policy from the funding Authourity.
A $5,000 dollars check would be remited to you which you are to cash and
take the cost of our staying in your apartment while you remit the balance
to my family in london.If this procedure is okay by you kindly send us the
following:
YOUR FULL NAME
HOME CONTACT ADDRESS
TEL NO
If this aboved procedure is acceptable by you please contact me.
We are sorry for any inconvenices this migth have cause you.
Await your response.
EXAMPLE:
Thanks for the email in response to my inquiry.I'm glad to read from you.I want you to realise that the payment for this apartment will issued out to you by my agent who is in charge of my trip,so i want you to calculate the total amount for the duration of 2 and half weeks,Alright then i have prospond it till April 3 to 18,and also i want you to understand that my feeding fees and commision will be addded to the money that will be sent to you so as sooon as the check arrives you will have to deduct your funds and assist me in transfering remaining balance to my personal assistant that takes care of all my financials,If you are satisfied with this i want you to kindly get back to me with these information which the payment would be sent out to you like this:
Full Name ...............
Address ..........
City ...............
Zipcode ............
State ................
Tel Phone numbers ( Home,Cell and Work Phone number ).........
So that the payment can be issued out to you and sent out as soon as possible.Hope to read from you soon.
Regards.
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WARNING: The renter wants to rent your property in the very near future, giving your bank and you less time to verify the funds from their check. SOLUTION: Let the potential renter know that they must provide funds that clear the bank before they may rent your property.
EXAMPLE: This lead arrived only 13 days prior to the desired rental dates: Hello Sir/Ma, This is renters name a (consultant agent).Please we want to make enquiry about your best accomodation in your hotel, we will like you to give us a suitable accomodations for our client.He is coming to have a holiday in usa ,pls we like you to tell us the cost per night because he will love to stay from 15th to 24th march 2005. And definitely he will need a place to stay for the 10 days, so we will like to procure an accomodation on his behalf. Please let us know your best accomodation that can be available for the specified dates and your costs. We will be looking forward to hear from you. Best Regards.
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WARNING: The renter would like to rent your property for an unusually long period of time compared to the average rental period of your other renters. The time of year requested may be an unusual time to rent a property in your area (not the normal season). This can be an indication that the individual is contacting many owners on a site indiscriminately. SOLUTION: Keep other warning signs in mind when replying to this individual.
EXAMPLE: My Occupant that needed the Aprtment that you have for rents said that she will be very glad to have your understanding regarding the months rents she said that she will be willing and hoped to have the renst for 6 months rents only she said that she will be very glad to have your understanding that she have been able to informed you through me that she will be making uses of the bike during the Rent,she said that i shuold ask you that if you are willing to have the full amount for the 6 months rents that she will be as well glad to have your understanding over this she said that she will be very glad to pay you all the 6 months renst at once so that there will be no more payment for the rents while she stays in the unit.
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WARNING: They may attempt to ease your suspicions by letting you know that they are a professional in their country. Doctor, Scientist, etc. and might even provide you with an official sounding Company name to verify their employment. They may be offering TOO much information in hopes that you sympathize with them. SOLUTION: Let the potential renter know that they must provide funds that clear the bank before they may rent your property.
EXAMPLE: In respect of my official assignment with my Government in my Lease/Rent apartment. Can you please tell me the modalities as regards this procees.
Thanks. Await your response.
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WARNING: The funds they want use, will be coming from someone or somewhere else: a boss, business partner, or relative. Sometimes the check comes directly from them. SOLUTION: Let the potential renter know that you will only accept a check for the amount of the rent and that their check must clear before they may rent your property.
EXAMPLE: Comments: hello, can i make a reservation between 18-25 january 2005 for my honey moon?my boss said i should get a nice lodge for myself and my wife and he will foot the bill. can i have your price for the eight days?so that he will handle the payment as soon as possible
EXAMPLE: hello,
there was a mix up by my boss.i told you he wanted to sponsor our
honeymoon, he had issued a check in your name and left it with his
secretary and he has travelled to canada for a bussiness trip.but
the problem is that he issued just a single check inclusive of the
money gift that had promised to give us for our shopping with your lodgement fee.
what i'm now asking of you now is that..could you accept this and after
cashing the check,you deduct your lodgement,there is a woman that
handled our garments and decorations here in the UK,she is in
united states for
now but likely to be in nigeria by next week because she promised to
get some african fabrics from there too,she came to buy some goods and we
had promised to send her money.could you please help me send the other
money for shopping to her?not everything,but some of it while you help
me hold on to some till we come in.
deduct the transfer fee from the money and i dont mind paying any
inconvienience fee for this service okay..
i only need you to confirm if this is okay by you so that i could
mail his secretary to send the check as soon as possible.
if this is not done,i will have to postpone my honeymoon or do it
here in England (which i wont like to).
hope to hear from you as soon as possible.
EXAMPLE: Hello to you over there .
How are you and your family?
i am from canada. i got the info that you have a space when i was suffing the internet in need of vacation space in your area in united state.
My head office over there has instructed me to look for an accomdation for a period of one month stay in united state for a program
i will discuss the detail of this program when i come into state. you can even benefit from this program.
my company will be responsibel for all the expences including the payment for your cabin.flight fee and other things
WE are 3 in number that are coming into state.
i want you to extimate the total cost for this 1 month period in your house and send it to me.
For all the expences , a money order of 5000 us dollars has been agreed to be paid out from my company .i hope money order is okay by you.
So Provide me with your ful name full contact address (not p.o.box)and your phone number so that the money order will be sent to you directly from my company so that you can take it to your bank for cashing and as soon as you remit the money into your account,the balance on it sholud be send to me in canada through western union money transfer which will serve as flight ticket and other related expences.
We are scheduled to bein united state by 1st week of february.
i am visiting united state for my 3rd time hope to me you and your family soon. regards to family.
await your quick responds
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WARNING: The renter would like to wire the money directly into your account. Don't ever give anyone personal information including bank account numbers or Social Security numbers unless you don't mind losing your identity! SOLUTION: Consult your bank and ask them for the best way to wire funds safely and economically.
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WARNING: Their communication with you is poorly written, with several grammatical and spelling errors. In some cases it is difficult to figure out exactly what they are requesting. SOLUTION: Let the potential renter know that you will only accept a check for the exact amount of the rent due and that their check must clear before they may rent your property.
EXAMPLE: Good Day , Am janetFrom Ireland i based on locating of Home/Apartment/condos/and as well Land ,well we do have client that are interested in buyingof propertyonbe of our client is interested in buying your (Property ),Ihave client located in all part of all the Word.I will like to know on how you operate i mean the way you do the sells of the (Property ),i will wish to have the costof the (Property ),so that i will be able to inform theclient that is muchinterested in it,i will need to have you r notice over this can the clientuses cars of any form of items in that (Property ),i hope that th (Property ), as well contain Furnitures in there,will the occupant have acess to internet in the area that the property islocated?well all the client that i always have here are in need and as well in need to use internet in theproperty/,just let me have the full info about the property so that i can informthe ccli! ! ! ent that is highly interested Best Regard
Owner Comments Regarding Scams:
Dear Paradise Properties,
Thank you so much for being vigilant regarding this most recent problem. It is indeed real - I took a booking a while back, and when the renter wanted to send me a cashiers check for more than I was owed, I became suspicious. It turns out this is their standard modus operandi. When the check arrived, I checked with Bank of America, the ostensible issuing financial institution. The check was fraudulent, and I saved thousands of dollars. If I had deposited it, and sent them the difference in cash, as they requested, I would have lost more than $8,000. I know there are people who have complied with the request and lost a lot of money. Owners need to be aware that even cashier's checks can be stolen and/or bad.
The FBI refused to get involved because I hadn't actually lost any money. We must all be vigilant and very careful.
Sincerely, Marney
Hi Paradise Properties,
I am a renter owner and have been for 2 years. The scams are ever increasing. Most of your scams want a month to rent, they check your calendar to see what's open. If you tell them some days are rented that month, they usually will ask for the next month. This is a sure sign of fraud. Also anyone who is out of the country, but says they have ties to the US and can have the money wired, this is also a true sign. Most will not call you or give a good phone # or address. They usually say they will send you more than you need and to take out and return the rest to them, don't do it, it is a scam. They also want it right away, because they know a check will take time to clear. I received a cashier's check from someone who wanted my place for 3 weeks. The check looked good, I took it to the bank and they could not tell me if it was counterfeit. I decided to cash it and wait, a mistake. It was a fraud check and I lost $10.00 from my account. I did not tell the renter any info. about the cabin as to where it was located or give them a key. If this happens to you I would contact the bank the check is from, go on line that's how I found the phone #. Although I emailed them about the fraud, nothing was done to my knowledge. So they keep tring until someone is willing to give in, don't do it. If anyone knows how or who we can contact about this let us know.
Thanks....Tim
Dear Paradise Properties,
Thanks for your updates and attention to the scam issues. I got one of those. Nigerian Television contacts. I had read your alert first so I didn't bother responding to his inquiry.
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