WARNING : Rental Scams for Property Sales andd Self Catering Holiday Home Lettings
With the increase of sales on the internet comes the increased risk of scams and fraud.
Property Sellers and Rental Owners please be aware of the following:
Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud or Nigerian 419 Scam
There are many variations of the scam and we would like to highlight to you the dangers of online advance fee fraud and the 419 scam as it is known.
The number "419" refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38: "Obtaining Property by false pretences; Cheating") dealing with fraud. This scam usually begins with a letter or e-mail purportedly sent to a selected recipient but actually sent to many making an offer that will ultimately result in a large payoff for the intended victim. The email's subject line often says something like "From the desk of Mr. [Name]", "Your assistance is needed", and so on. The details vary, but the usual story is that a person, often a government or bank employee, knows of a large amount of unclaimed money or gold which he cannot access directly, usually because he has no right to it.
NEVER BELIEVE A STORY THAT SAYS THEY WILL SEND YOU A CHEQUE AS DEPOSIT - THEN YOU SEND MONEY TO THEIR PROPERTY TEAM, SO THEY CAN COME AND INSPECT IT.
Although as you will see from our Terms and Conditions for advertising all dealings are carried out between the advertiser and contact and although we do offer a lot of advice on the site, Our House Abroad Ltd takes no responsibility for any transactions taking place. We take the quality of our site very seriously which is why we monitor all enquiries and we believe it is in the interest of our client advertisers that we make you aware of Property and Rental Scams that are occurring in the industry.
We understand that similar problems have occurred with owners who have their properties registered on Tourist Office websites in different countries and other self catering holiday home websites. The signs that we look for are e.g. that the email makes no sense, it talks about an apartment when you are letting a 5 bedroom farmhouse or just wants to rent a room and even bring their own furniture or contacts owners of properties in France wanting to rent in the UK etc. Also take note of the email address and if it is in very broken written English.
When dealing with enquiries it is important to establish they are genuine and that it is important to make sure that you do not give out your bank details to anyone you feel is not making a genuine enquiry.
Example emails:
i would like to buy your property asap
pls would you email me on liam_walters@hotmail.co.uk
thanks liam clark
p.s
could you also send me photos of your property
thanks
HOUSE PROPOSAL
HELLO,
THIS IS MARK SHOLA AND ALSO I AM A HOUSE AGENT.I SAW YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AT GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE AND REALLY I AM INTERETSED IN BUYING FROM YOU .I HAVE A SENATOR AT HAND RIGHT NOW IN WHICH I WILL LIKE TO PLACE THE HOUSE FOR SO GET BACK TO ME NOW WITH SOME OF THE LIST OF HOUSES YOU HAVE AT HAND RIGHT NOW WITH THEIR PRICE...
REGARDS..
MARK SHOLA
Hello. I\'m mr m.... s.... from united kingdom . I want to make an enquiry about your cottages/apartment for hire. I\'m about to come to your state to accept a job offer with a textile industry. So i need a lodging space undrer your management. I would be grateful if only you can furnish me with all the necessary information about the cottage and your price for the duration of 1 or 2 weeks with date that cottage will be available. I wait to hear back from myou as i\'ll issue the payment to you promptly before my coming. Mr m.... Call me
The following property was not an apartment:
I \'m interested in your apartment for 2weeks free in the month of September/October and also i will like to know the cost of the 2weeks so that i can pay VIA Cheque, pls kindly get back to me via my email address ok. C. H... email address yahoo.fr
Property owners you must take great, great care .
Do make sure that a) With the PAYMENT OF RENT:Do take great care when accepting rental payments . Some people are able to accept credit card bookings, but for the majority they are dependent on payment by bank transfer or when the guests arrive.
If someone is making a booking well into the future, the ideal situation is to obtain a booking deposit at the time of booking and the balance two months before they are due to arrive. Stipulate those terms in your rental agreement and also on a printed booking forms.
If in any doubt and things seems complicated, bizarre, awkward or you are just suspicious you may want to walk away from any further dealings.
If you receive any enquiries like this do not reply directly to the email enquiry as this will mean that they will obtain your personal email address. Inform us at info@ourhouseabroadfrance.com if you have any suspicions and we will look into the enquiry for you.
If you would like further information on the Advance Fee Fraud and the 419 scam please read the Metropolitan Police website and the FBI website. Both websites will be able to offer more information on the scams and what to look for in potential scam emails.