Scammed by Paris apartment rental? Help!

Replies: 10 - Last Post: 26-Mar-2009 22:03 Last Post By: qvdan

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kmilo

20-Mar-2009 22:13
Posts: 2

Scammed by Paris apartment rental? Help!

Hi All,
I posted an ad on Craigslist looking for an apartment to rent in Paris for the upcoming long Easter weekend. After sorting through many responses, we found an affordable place in a good location. The person offering the apartment sent us a photocopy of her passport and a legitimate tenancy contract. She also sent the full address of the apartment and photos of the place.

They asked for the rent and security deposit upfront, which wasn't a lot of cash. We talked them down on the security deposit. We didn't think this was fishy considering we did the same thing when successfully renting an apartment in London.

After signing the tenancy agreement, we sent the money via western union to who they said was their lawyer in Madrid, Spain. The woman said it was her mother's apartment that she was renting out and that her mother lived in London. We had requested that we give the money to her mother in person since we also live in London, but they refused to do this. They said she was too busy to meet up. I figured she might not want to meet strangers, but also thought she would appreciate meeting the people who would be staying at her flat.

Since sending the money, we haven't heard a word from the woman we were speaking with. We have contacted her via email 4-5 times in the last week with no response. We have tried tracking down phone numbers for her, the lawyer and the mother as we have their names and addresses - or what we think are real names and addresses.

We feel like this might be a scam now. What do we do? We are booking hotel reservations as back up. But we are not happy about the potential of losing all of our money!!

kmilo

20-Mar-2009 22:47
Posts: 2

Looks like we were officially scammed. The woman we dealt with shows up on a list of online scammers:
Jose Stephany Ferraria
If only we had checked that first.
http://parishousingscamwatch.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/updated-list-of-scammers-lurking-on-craigslist-paris/

Let me know if anyhow has any advise on what we can do.

bjd

20-Mar-2009 23:08
Posts: 4,331

I don't think there is anything you can do.

For me, the use of Western Union is the giveaway. We tried renting a place in Denmark, a guy offered "his father-in-law's apartment". He used an Anglo-sounding name, but made a few mistakes. He asked for the deposit through Western Union. When I went to the WU site, they say "don't send money to anyone you don't know". We then checked and discovered that the street address doesn't even exist, the street yes, but not the number.

jman98

20-Mar-2009 23:27
Posts: 1,973

What could possibly go wrong with using Craiglist, because everyone on their is honest and so forth. You learned a valuable lesson. Yes, #2 is quite right - the use of Western Union is a giveaway that you were scammed. There's no way to get your money back because of how Western Union works. Once they pay the recipient, that money is gone. If you paid Western Union by credit card, you could protest the charge with your credit card company, but I'm guessing you didn't do that. The "lawyer" of your contact is almost certainly NOT a lawyer by the way.

I understand about not wanting to waste money, but your attempt to do this on the cheap through Craigslist ended up costing you money. You should have looked on the web for a reputable rental agency and paid a little more - you'd have come out ahead.

HappyCrusader

20-Mar-2009 23:45
Posts: 698

As the above really. Sending money via Western Union is like giving someone cash - it does have its uses, but not in situations like this.

It's a well known scam and has been highlighted on numerous UK TV consumer programmes. A lot of students/parents got stung in a practically identical scam to yours with regards to student accommodation.

I'm afraid you'll have to put it down to experience...

I want to come back as an egg - either getting smashed or getting laid.

qwovadis

20-Mar-2009 23:57
Posts: 16,746

a good rule of thumb is to always use Credit Card(no Debit Card)

Always get my money back that way...

it is what it is...
it will be what it will be...
acceptance is the answer...
flexibility the key...

marcopolko

21-Mar-2009 00:07
Posts: 596

#5 And how do you deal with an individual with a credit card? For one apartment I doubt that they are set up to accept them. I found in the past for some places advertised through a tourist office that the tourist office would accept payment with a credit card, makes it a lot easier and safer than other ways, and you are then dealing with an official organization instead of an unknown individual.

tigronne

23-Mar-2009 20:05
Posts: 568

There are regular scams like this aimed at foreigners looking for housing in Paris. Basically, nobody pays anything to an estate agent until a lease is signed (then you get your checkbook out for a hefty deposit). Anyone who charges a registration fee, even a small one, is up to something dubious.

zebec

25-Mar-2009 12:17
Posts: 897

All My Gracious Friends, please Allow me to introduce mYself. I am being Princely Wabatu of the nation Zeebekia. My late father was of course, the Grand Vizier to King Horace, may God rest His Sole. Just before the coup did happen in these past decades, my good father invested nearly the whole of the 20 millions pounds (except for 12) of the excess funding for Edukation Ministry. This so fine investment he was did put into Nigerian diamond oils. I am assuming that some of you may wish to retire with some millions. So. So now if you are now giving for me just only your credit card information,,,,I shall be sharing fully 80% of these monies with the only of you!! Why for that?!! It is because you are goodness of heart traveler westerner person who can feel some godness for save all childrens everywhere! Especially in Zeebekia. Where poor childrens (thats all of those them there) must be licking the roads clean in front of schools each morn so that torture instrument trucks can safely be deliver items into skoolbuildings. Now I must be hanging.

TokyoB

26-Mar-2009 10:54
Posts: 1,087

Hey Watabu, there's a picture of you here :

http://www.419eater.com/images/trophy_room/stev_ebe.jpg

metaeureka

qvdan

26-Mar-2009 22:03
Posts: 17

Zebec, very very good... how many letters like this I have had in the past, I dont know... yet somewhere there is clearly someone falling for them. I also like the Russian ladies emails 'looking for love and long time partner'...

www.qualityvillas.com

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