Rental property scam (11th June 2010)

In helping Mum find a place to stay in NZ, she stumbled upon an ad on the web of this perfect 2-bedroom apartment on 24 Hanson St, Mt Cook for a mere $165/week and asked me to check out the place for her. Hmm, sounds way too cheap for the whole apartment that looked similar to the one I’m living in now AND it was said to be fully furnished too – I don’t know but something smells rather fishy here…too good to be true, really. Check out the ad: http://wellington.locanto.co.nz/ID_103309350/Spacious-2bedroom-with-1baths-in-Wellington-City.html

So Mum contacted the advertiser and turns out house owner, Reverend Thomson is in Africa doing missionary work and that Mum should contact his wife, Lucy Nash, who is residing in London. Both husband and wife sounded really kind and lovely (very Christian use of ‘God Bless You’ and the like) in their emails, explaining that they are seeking a responsible tenant to care for their house while they were away overseas and that money was not the main issue, thus only asking $600/month including power. “Ding, ding, ding! It’s a scam, it’s a scam!” my head went when I saw the email Mum copied me in – seriously, both house owners NOT in the country AND Lucy has the keys and documents to the house? She wanted Mum to complete a rental application form which asked for her personal details including employment history (for what?) and the applicant has to agree to pay upfront a rental bond of $500 which was refundable in order to get the keys to the house. Scam, scam, SCAM!

But I was naughty and wanted to see how far Lucy or whoever this scammer is would go so asked her if I could view the place on Mum’s behalf only to be told that I could just view from the outside, insisting that she will only provide the keys when the completed rental application is received. I further explained to her that it was rather unreasonable for one to rent a place without first viewing it, that she should understand my scepticism, and if she could pass the keys to a local family member or friend to show us the place. You wouldn’t believe it but the scammer took a 360 degree change in tone in the email reply. “So you do not trust us and you want to rent flats from us! I don’t think you are normal,” was the response. Excuse me but what a b*&ch! Could you ever imagine a reverend’s wife speaking in such a manner?! She couldn’t even give me the exact unit number (24 Hanson St is a whole block of modern apartments)!

On further investigation, this particular scammer has been scamming all around NZ, using different properties, the same story but a change of names and email addresses. Just look at the many complaints on this Facebook property page about the ad: http://www.facebook.com/flatfinder?v=wall. Jono also had a look at the legal property owners’ database online and couldn’t find legal owners with surnames Thomson or Nash. 100% confirmed scam!

I’ve since flagged the ad as a scam on the property website and also submitted a scam report to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Hmm, I wonder if anyone fell for this scam…I sure hope the authorities catch the scammer. Be careful, New Zealanders – we may be living in a safe and peaceful country, but it doesn’t stop scammers trying their luck!

Comments

  1. Your blog is very valuable which you have shared here about property management. I appreciate your efforts which you have put into this article and also it is a gainful article for us. Thank you for sharing this article here. property management companies in vancouver bc

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will share it with my other friends as the information is really very useful. Keep sharing your excellent work. Real Estate Management Companies Coquitlam

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am attracted by the presentation of this article. This information about Affordable Villa Rentals in Bangalore is really good. I really appreciate your work. It is a gainful article for us. Keep posting. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I liked your work and the way in which you have shared this article here about Property cornwall It is a beneficial and helpful article for us. Thanks for sharing an article like this.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You've created an excellent essay. Your essay gave me some unique and useful information about property for sale in lewis county wa. Thank you for bringing this article to our attention.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I read the above article and got some knowledge from your article which is about property. It's actually great and useful data for us. Thanks for sharing it. Property management vancouver

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really want to thank the author for such a nice blog that helped me to understand why it is important. real estate brokers in bhubaneswar

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really want to thank the author for such a nice blog that helped me to understand why it is important. 2 family homes for sale in queens

    ReplyDelete
  9. I admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much.Apartments for Sale in Istanbul

    ReplyDelete
  10. I admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much. Read more info about Best Property Management Company in Edmonton

    ReplyDelete
  11. You've shared some excellent information about.. property management singapore I'm happy I came across this post because it contains a lot of useful information. Thank you for sharing this story.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I got some different kind of knowledge from your webpage, and it is essential for everyone. Property Valuation Services

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice info, I am very thankful to you that you have shared this special information with us. I got some different kind of knowledge from your web page, and it is really helpful for everyone. Thanks for share it. Read more info about bid estimator help

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is excellent information which is shared by you. This information is meaningful and magnificent for us to increase our knowledge about it. Keep sharing this kind of information. Thank you. Read more info about we buy houses austin

    ReplyDelete
  15. I found decent information in your article. I am impressed with how nicely you described this subject, It is a gainful article for us. property for sale in roatan honduras Thanks for share it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm really inspired together with your writing skills and also with the layout for your weblog. Thanks for sharing this blog here.Buy or sell a multiplex in Montreal

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts