Sunday, June 5, 2011

SCAMS.

I posted my room on the graduate housing site for a subletter, and this is what I received after I confirmed the room is available:

Hello, 
Good to read back from you...Am glad that the place is available, am currently in Galway , Ireland, i will be coming there to further my education, so i will be coming there for my move in as soon as the space is ready for move in...But i will not be coming there to look at the room due to distance, and i would love to call you but my phone just got disconnected and i dont want to reconnect it cuz i will be relocating soon, but my step dad will call you asap, however if you have the pics of the room you can send it to me so that i can see the place and send it to my step dad to see it as well, Meanwhile let me tell you a little about myself. Am Belinda Martins and am 23years old i lost my dad some years back when i was young so my mom had to remarry, so she got married to Mr Richard Harly who is my step dad now he is a very busy business man. He has been the one who has been taking care of me all this while i believe he is a God sent to me cux i have never regretted a moment with him. I lobe reading,swimming and chatting with people around me and also make them happy. I have always been thinking of how i will affect peoples life positively by making donations to the less privileges cus when i looked at my pass when i lost my dad from the story my mom told me. I noticed it is not easy for people that has no parent. Presently i donate to (W.H.O) for the support of the motherless home. Although i donate little amount, but no amount is too small to help..Well i hope when we meet in person you will know more about me. Meanwhile my step dad will need the followings information to make payment to you ASAP 
1....Your name in full 
2...your Address in full with the zip code 
3.....Your phone number.

I wait to have this information from you so that my step dad can make payment for the rental fee and security deposit in advance.

Thanks
Belinda
belinda.martins1@att.net

It is a scam because no one posts their entire life story, a sad one nevertheless, to a perfect stranger! BEWARE!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh wow, I I just got an email from this belinda.martins1@att.net girl. I guess she learned from her encounter with you because her message to me was much shorter. I didn't realize this, I just told her that my room was already sublet out.

Anonymous said...

If you responded at all with a real email address to this fake person, you've already been duped - you sent your email address to a spam harvester.

I just got a response to a real estate advert from the same "belinda" and instantly recognized it as a scammer, even though I didn't get the whole sob story (yet). Just a phone number "000-000-0000" and "Hello there,
Hope you are doing good? my name is Belinda Martins. i saw your advert online for availability of space and interested in it please write me back to let me know if the place is still available with recent pictures. Am waiting to read back from you as soon as possible.
CHEERS"

Notice how generic it is, like all spam harvesters/scammers of this sort. I already posted plenty of pictures in my ad. The advert wouldn't be there if the place were already rented. These people alway are satisfied with whatever your terms are and want to send yuo money and make sure you don't rent it to someone else. If I responded, I'd then get the long story about how "she" is in a foreign country and needs some elaborate arrangement for payment, asking for my FULL name and address, to which I'd be sent too much money on a bogus check and she'll want some of her money wired back. And that's the last time you'll see the money.

I can't believe they don't even bother to change the fake name

Anonymous said...

Just received a shorter version email from 'Belinda'.

A word to the wise...
I've seen the same scammers starting to refine their emails, despite using the same name. While there are telltale signs (eg/ lack of capitalization, request for photos), it shows they too are adapting.

If a foreign student seems legit - and you are ok in giving an email address - consider asking them to provide a student ID number which will be verified with the university. I also ask for a copy of their passport data page, as proof of identity. So far, this has worked very well at filtering bogus 'renters'.

Anonymous said...

Me To. I received the same e-mail also counterfit check $2,900.00 for rent and deposit. All scam

2tallalso said...

Well Miss Belinda just emailed me off the Places4students.com rental site. Thanks for the heads up. If you want to have some fun tell her you will only accept a Western Union money gram and watch them go away.

Anonymous said...

I have been in communication with Miss Belinda as well, got the same sweet long email posted above. I even spoke to the step-father today who promised to mail me a check tomorrow, I even offer to pick up Belinda at the airport. I feel like an idiot and very exposed as I share so much personal information with this man such as " I live alone", great! The world has changed so much, can't trust anyone anymore. After I spoke to the step-dad I Google his name: Richard Harly and could not found anyone with the last name spelled that way, I then Google Belinda Martins Galaway and I got to this posting.

Anonymous said...

Just got a note from belinda. going to complain to houses4students.com
I of course responded asking for her information. hope the spammers don't get my email address...

Unknown said...

POSING AS MAN LOOKING TO CARE FOR HIS MOM. I GOT A CHECK FOR 2550.00. HE SAYS HE'S IN SCOTLAND BUT RESIDES IN PANAMA CITY FLORIDA

sweet chocolate said...

Who is this Richard Harly guy. He emailed me about a housekeeping job today. He has a wife and two kids along store he tells me. I also googled his name and not a real person I don't think. He wants all my info as well and wants to send me a check for $1750 and I need to take out $300 and shop for his family cuz they are moving here from Hawaii this month. Sounds like a scam guys.

Anonymous said...

Its still going on. A Richard Harly sent me an email on care.com about how he chose me to take care of his mom. He sent me a certified check for over $2000.00 . I wrote void on it and sent him a picture of it and told him what a horrible person he is. I feel so exposed.