I could not believe that in spite of all emails and efforts I have given to this case I have received very little response.
Firstly, I warned Microsoft about the scammer and adviced them to block the account - no response.
Secondly, I wrote to both my national embassy in Nigeria and the Nigerian one in my country - no response
Thirdly, my mother talked personally to Interpol about that case. She was told that since the administrative procedure takes up to 6 months (official translations etc), there is no chance to prosecute them - they will have been gone by the time legas authorities finally start doing something about it. I was very upset, because I put much reliance on that. As I said, I was able to locate them - only thing that needs to be done is to check the internet provider and ask for the name of the users. It would be possible to haunt for them, but - nobody will ever do so much effort to do that.
Lastly, I contacted few hackers with an imploring request to crack the scammer's account, block it and send all other potentional victims that it is a scam. As usually, no response to it.
I think that I would have written even to Mother Teresa if she could have helped me. As I found out later, we were not the only ones - internet is full of peple who were takein in by rental scams and I personally know about at least 6 people in my university who share the same fate.
In the end, I would like to thank to every police officer and volunteer who fight against scammers - you do the right job so please do not give up.
Lastly, sorry for any mistakes or spelling errors. Believe me, I do not feel like reading that all over again and reminding it.
Thank you for reading and sharing this with others
Here is a correspondence between Stefanie, a friend of mine, and Carol. Unlike me, she paid by WU and I suppose that Carol kept conversation with her only because she wanted to get my money as well.
Hey Stefanie,
Thanks for the Lease Contract,Everything is Ok.I have notify my Lawyer that you will be making your payment soon and immediately he received your payment they will issue acknowledgment receipt for you straight away.Oops....see you soon
Cheers,
Carol
________________________________________
To: baroness.wallace@live.com
Subject: Re:
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 16:36:45 +0200
A question to any lawyer reading this secret blog: Is it legally all right to make sign a contract and than scan it? I have seen it in Austria when I had to do my paperwork with university, but honestly, I have never heard of this procedure in my country. I would like to know for the future whether I can sign contracts like this.
Hi Carol,
thank you for your reply and your reassurance. Please find enclosed my signed Lease agreement contract. I hope it's legally alright to do this via scanning and e-mail. I will take care of the payment via Western Union as soon as possible.
Thank you again for your kindness, very much looking forward to this!
Take care,
Stefanie
****************
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 00:54:30 +0200
Hello Carol,
thank you very much for your e-mail. Your place looks absolutely great, wonderful pictures, great location. I can't believe it's only 300 pounds per month! Are you looking for someone to stay there long-term, though? Because we're just going to be in Edinburgh for the winter term, September to December. In my experience this is quite the deal-breaker for tenants and people looking for flatmates.
I'm 25, Austrian, also a bit quiet especially when around new people but at the same time keen on getting to know them. I would consider myself a considerate, open-minded and reliable person. I love languages (I study translation for German, English and Spanish), history and different cultures. I also like to go out and party and do crazy things sometimes, though, and I'm a smoker, but of course I wouldn't do any of that around the house if it's not cool with the housemates. I just want to be honest about it right away.
My friend Mathiew is a couple of years younger than me, French, and I don't know him all that well yet as we're just acquaintances from uni who happen to go on an exchange semester to the same city. He's cool and open-minded and definitely considerate though, very keen on studying, non-smoker, probably not as much of a party person as I can be sometimes.
Unfortunately I don't have much of an idea how all of this would work paperwork-wise, and the process in general. If after everything I just told you, you'd still be willing to consider us as housemates, would you want to meet us in person first, would we have to take a look at the house before we agree or sign anything? I booked my flight yesterday, I'll arrive in Edinburgh on 4 September, and ideally I'd like to already have a permanent place to stay when I do. I've also considered staying at a hostel for a while and looking at places in person if that doesn't work out. Mathiew will be arriving around roughly the same time, but probably one or two days after me.
Thanks again for getting in touch!
Kind regards,
Stefanie
****************
Hi Stefanie,
Thanks for your response,I like to have you as my roomie and you're doing the best thing looking for accommodation before Traveling to
Edinburgh because a lot of people comes down to Edinburgh daily without looking for accommodation before their arrival and end up Homeless.
Since i have a lot offer and i would advice you to secure my room inform of reservation and you would only need to get back to with your Name,Home address,scan copy of passport or passport number,Telephone number,Sex and Arrival date.My Lawyer will need the Information to prepare the lease agreement contract. As soon as the Lease agreement contract is ready i would it send to you to study carefully the terms and conditions before signing it and make initial payment to my lawyer to confirm the reservation.
Immediately he will issued receipt and the room will be reserved to move in on your arrival date.you can add me to your MSN messenger
baroness.wallace@live.com for Talks.Looking forward to welcoming you to Edinburgh and my apartment soon
Kind Regards.
Carol
****************
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 11:08:42 +0200
Hi Carol,
Thanks again for your reply, and sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I had to discuss our options with Mathiew. We are currently considering only three offers and yours definitely looks the very best. He asked me to tell you that we would love to move in with you and that we would be willing to close the deal tomorrow, if nobody else has snatched away the rooms by then.
I'll be in touch and look forward to meeting you!
Stefanie
****************
Am 05.08.2010 um 11:22 schrieb Carol Wallace:
Okay,
Since you assured,i have reserved the rooms for you straightaway and I'm positive about you.
Hope to read from you soon
Cheers!
Carol
****************
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 03:07:37 +0200
Hi Carol,
thank you so much for your kindness, we really appreciate it. We decided we would love to take you up on your offer, as it's definitely the best place we've seen and you seem like a very nice person.
My data are as follows:
Name: Stefanie von Herzberg
Home address: Keinergasse 21, 1120 Vienna, AUSTRIA
Telephone: xxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sex: Female
Arrival date: 4 September 2010
Mathiew's full name is Mathiew Perrie and his email is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - I gave him your e-mail address and he's either going to get in touch with you directly tomorrow or send his data to me so I can forward them to you. he already sent me a copy of his passport, though. Please find enclosed both our copies. The pictures are horrible, of course, and we no longer really look like we do on the pictures, but passport pictures tend to be that way. :)
Yeah, my passport picture was really horrible, indeed. At least one positive thing is that I had to get a new one and hopefully have a better picture on it
Unfortunately I don't use msn, but I'm on skype (romine_f) and we're also both registered on facebook with our full names.
Please let me know if there is any other information that you need, and thank you so much again, we're really looking forward to this!
Warm regards,
Stefanie
****************
Am 06.08.2010 um 12:16 schrieb Carol Wallace:
Hello Stefanie,
Thank God...Its Friday :)
How are you? I have forward your information to my lawyer,as soon as i heard back from my lawyer I will send you the lease contract to study the terms and conditions carefully as regards to living in my apartment Once you are satisfied you will sign it and make payment to reserve the room.I guess we would be a lovely roomies.Looking forward to welcoming you soon
Hope you had a nice and fabulous weekend ahead :)
Warm Wishes,
Carol
I found it really strange that there was no arrival and departure date on the contract. I noticed Stefanie about that and she wrote her about it, while I was bitching about another paragraph – our tactic was to split our bitching.
Hey Carol,
thank you very much for the lease contract. I've studied it and I'm about to sign it, but there is just one issue: after we've paid the security deposit and first rent to your lawyer, how would you want us to pay rent every month after that? In cash or to a bank account? And if bank account, to your lawyer or to you personally? In ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; contracts of the same kind the landlord usually includes their bank information. I don't know how this works in the British legal system. Mathiew was wondering about this as well.
Looking forward to meeting you!
Warm regards,
Stefanie
****************
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 18:22:00 +0200
Hey Carol,
yeah, Fridays are a Godsend. :) It's been a stressful week, time to relax a bit. Thanks for forwarding my info to your lawyer. Did Mathiew get in touch with you? Because if it's very urgent I can text him in case he hasn't checked his email.
Can't wait to meet you, and a wonderful weekend to you, too! :)
Take care,
Stefanie
OMG this explanation about the involvement of a lawyer is so trustworthy...
Hey Stefanie, Thanks for the swift response....I understand your concern but the subsequence rent will be paid in cash to me (Carol Wallace).Since you're renting from abroad i have to involve leasehold Lawyer for guarantee and peace of mind so the contract contract all article required by the British Legal system governing Leaseholding I will be looking forward to see the signed Lease agreement contract as soon as possible so that we can move to next face of the rent.Await your response urgently Cheers, Carol m 06.08.2010 um 19:53 schrieb Carol Wallace:
Hey Stefanie, I'm good...not bad at all.I am still waiting to hear from Mathiew. Hope to read from you soon Best Regards, Carol
________________________________________
Hey Carol, Happy to hear you're good. I just texted him to get in touch with you ASAP. Yesterday he definitely said he's going to be online tomorrow (Saturday) so I hope that's not too late. Kind regards,
Stefanie
****************
Datum: 07. August 2010 11:02:20 GMT+02:00 Hey Stefanie, I'm just through with Mathiew and i will get back to you asap with the Lease Contract can't wait to see you guys in Edinburgh Have a nice weekend :) Cheers, Carol
Here are the messages after Stefanie had made the payment.
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 Hey Carol, thanks for your reply. I just made the Western Union payment for 630 pounds, MTCN is 00000000000 . Your lawyer should receive the payment soon. I'm looking forward to receiving the receipt and moving in with you soon. See ya, Stefanie
****************
Am 10.08.2010 um 00:14 schrieb Carol Wallace: Stefanie, I have forwarded the transaction to my lawyer and as soon as he received the payment i will get back to you with the acknowledgment receipt. Cheers, Carol
“I am lookin forward to close the deal soon.“ Of course she was looking forward to making 1600€ for nothing, bitch!
Hey Stefanie,
How are you?I have attached the signed Lease contract with this mail and as soon as my Lawyer received Mathiew payment he will issue acknowledgment receipt.I'm looking forward to close the deal soon. Hope to see you soon in Edinburgh. Cheers, Carol Carol Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 16:36:45 +0200
Here we asked for a cellphone number for the third time.
Hey Carol, Thank you. :) Mathiew just texted me to ask you for your telephone number, as he has a question about payment and no internet access because he's on a trip. Could you tell me your phone number so I can forward it to him? Thanks! Take care, Stefanie
Why the hell would she need Stefanie to send forward texted details? I cannot believe that I was so naive; how could I ever suppose that a British woman does not have a cellphone number and in case she had, why she did not want to give it to us? Strange, strange, strange......
Stefanie, Sorry for my late response...its kinda busy for me today in work.I have already forward my Lawyer telephone number to Mathiew and if he's unable to get through tomorrow to my Lawyer about the transfer details.He can just text the details to you and then forward it to me.I will get back to you tomorrow with acknowledgment receipt.Oops...can't wait to see you soon in Edinburgh Cheers, Carol
Yes, actually, I had tried to make the WU payment for several times before I did it via regular bank transfer.
Hey Carol, no problem. :) It all sounded way more dramatic than it actually was. :)) I spoke to Mathiew and he's going to give this Western Union thing another try. I hope everything works out. Looking forward to the receipt, and can't wait to come to Edinburgh. Cheers, Stefanie
Am 11.08.2010 um 11:25 schrieb Carol Wallace: Hey, I understand your concern but everything should be alright and I will get back to you asap Cheers, Carol
I think Stefanie was also getting nervous about the whole thing.....
Hey Carol, thanks, hope you are well. Any news on the acknowledgement receipt? And the contract signed by you? Will I get that via e-mail or post? Or are you waiting for Mathiew to complete the payment? Cheers, Stefanie
And of course, Carol wrote her another beautiful looking (bullshiting) explanation what was going on. I cannot believe that she even proposed Stefanie to help me with the payment. This was pretty obvious that something fishy was going on here....
Am 12.08.2010 um 23:59 schrieb Carol Wallace: Hey Stefanie, How is your day?Sorry for my late response...I'm just through with my Lawyer and he advised me that he have to received Mathiew payment before issuing the acknowledgment receipt.So I'm suggesting that because Mathiew have some difficulties making the payment from France and could you help him make the payment from Austria since there's no problem about making international payment from Austria.Please kindly get back to me asap so that we can seal the deal immediately.Await your urgent response Hope to see you soon in Edinburgh :) Warm Regards, Carol
****************
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:50:20 +0200 Hey Carol, Thanks for your reply. I talked to Mathiew and there are difficulties with Western Union, and he can't take care of it because he's on a euro trip. But he's going to be online tonight and we're gonna work this out somehow. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience and I hope this can be cleared up soon. See you soon and take care, Stefanie
This is an email from Stefanie after I expressed my doubts about this dubious business once again. I did not know what to do: either to lose an almost arranged accommodation or to risk losing 800€. Unfortunately, I did not think that sending the money by bank was as dangerous as paying via WU.
Hey Carol,
sorry to disturb you again, but I just talked to Mathiew again and I feel like I need to be honest with you: I have signed your contract and haven't got it back with your signature, and I have paid the security deposit and first month's rent and haven't got any receipt or acknowledgement for that. Western Union, on top of everything, is famous for being abused for scams.
Please understand that I'm not accusing you or your lawyer of anything, of course not. I'm just starting to get a bit worried and you have to understand where I'm coming from because I don't really know you and I still decided to trust you. So it would really help if you could give me some kind of acknowledgement for my payment, or at least send me back the contract with your signature, even if Mathiew hasn't paid his part yet. Because that would give me peace of mind and it would also show Mathiew and his mother that there's nothing fishy about this at all, so they can go through with the Western Union payment.
I'm so sorry for making this complicated, and I can't wait to move in with you, and I really hope you aren't disappointed in me, but as I said, please understand my perspective and get back to me urgently.
Take care,
Stefanie
What a beautiful anwer of her J
Stefanie, I totally agree with you about your concern but I'm just honest and hardworking lady just looking to rent her apartment out . I'm just through with my lawyer tomorrow i will get back to you with the signed Lease contract and acknowledgment receipt tomorrow so for guarantee and peace of mind.It would be better if you can work things out with Mathiew as soon as possible Please kindly bear with me in this difficult time.Hope to read from you soon Cheers, Carol
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:13:46 +0200
Hey Carol,
just to update you on the situation: Mathiew has contacted your lawyer to ask again if he can make the payment in another way than Western Union, and if that's not possible he will take care of it on Monday. Sorry for testing your patience and making this complicated.
Any news on the receipt and contract?
Cheers,
Stefanie
****************
Datum: 15. August 2010 23:01:27 GMT+02:00
Hey Stefanie, Please kindly update me about Mathiew payment as soon as possible and my Lawyer is waiting for Mathiew payment before he can issue acknowledgment receipt and also stamp the Lease contract. can't wait to see you guys soon Cheers,
Carol sent her the signed contract just for the peace of mind.
Hey Stefanie,
How are you?I have attached the signed Lease contract with this mail and as soon as my Lawyer received Mathiew payment he will issue acknowledgment receipt.I'm looking forward to close the deal soon.
Hope to see you soon in Edinburgh.
Cheers,
Carol
*********************
Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:27:13 +0200
hey carol,
THANK YOU so much for the signed contract. Hope Mathiew's payment will go through ASAP and looking forward to the receipt. Can't wait to come to Edinburgh! :)
take care,
Stefanie
********************
Datum: 18. August 2010 21:18:25 GMT+02:00
Hey Stefanie,
Mathiew mother was in contact with me earlier and I'm still waiting for transfer confirmation/status and as soon as I heard back from her i will instruct my Lawyer to issue acknowledgment receipt.
Cheers,
Carol
***************
Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:23:04 +0200
hey,
perfect, thank you. :) nice evening to you, and talk to you soon!
take care,
Stefanie
*************
23. August 2010 23:58:43 GMT+02:00
Hey,
I'm still waiting for my Lawyer to get back to me with acknowledgment receipt probably because they're always busy this time of the year and you have nothing to fear or worry about the room is fully secure and reserve for you.Hope to see you soon.
By reading her answer I felt like a winner – I got what I wanted. I supposed that bank checks rigorously IDs of the account holder and there is absolutely no risk in sending money abroad. In my country, you need to bring at least 2 by government issued IDs indicating your permanent address. Moreover, there is always a possibility to cancel the payment. I did not think at all that this bank account might have been set up only for this transaction and that the Abby bank would be so reluctant to solve this issue until the criminals withdraw the payment and dissapeared.
Hi Mathiew,
How are you today?I have asked my lawyer for beneficiary details for Bank transfer and he has nominate Paul Bogle the financial secretary to the Law Firm and details as follows:
BANK NAME: Abbey bank
ACCOUNTANT : xxxxxxxxxxxx
BRANCH ADDRESS: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, UK
ACCOUNT NUMBER: xxxxxxxx
SORT CODE:xx-xx-xx
SWIFTCODE:xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
IBAN: xxxxxxxxxxxx
I will be looking forward to see the signed lease contract and i have informed my lawyer that you will be making your payment to confirm the
reservation.Since you assured me,I have reserved one the rooms for you straight away.I am positive about you.Hope to see you in Edinburgh soon.
Have a nice and wonderful week ahead :)
Regards,
Carol
***************
Hi Carol,
Thank you very much for allowing me to pay via bank transfer. I will
realize the payment today and the secretary should receive the payment
within 3 days.
Thank you also for the reservation of my room and your trust in me
inspite of all troubles.
I hope you have received all necessary documents, including the signed
contract and that legally everything is ok.
best regards
Mathiew
***************
Great,
I will be looking forward to see the payment so that we can move to next face of the rent
Oops...can't wait to see you soon
Cheers,
Carol
***************
Hey Mathiew,
I have attached the signed Lease contract with this mail and as soon as my Lawyer received your payment he will issue acknowledgment receipt.Are you through with the payment?Hope to read from you soon .
Cheers,
Carol
***************
Hi Carol, thank you for the signed contract. Yes, the transaction is
completed, I expect the money to come within this week.
Let me please know when the lawyer receive the payment.
best regards
Mathiew
Since I was gone on holiday, my mother decided to communicate with Carol without informing me. She only sent forward to me the whole communication after the transaction was entirely done. I still cannot understand how “Carol“ could have mess up the IBAN number so many times. It worked only against her, because she could have gotten the money much earlier. Or who knows – maybe it was some kind of a scammer trick...
Hi Carol,
I am a mother of my son Mathiew, I write to you because of the rent for my son in your apartment.
I would like to ask you, if you could to sent me again the IBAN code, because, I made a transfer already and at the bank they made a call to me, that they couldnt to make a transaktion because, IBAN code what you gave me it is too short. It is supossed to be like a 22 marks or 18 numbers.
I aplogize to you for it, but in Slovakia we have a big problem with the payment with Western Union, that was a reason to ask you for a number of your bank account.
If you dont to sent me a new IBAN code, I will supposed to go to Astria to make a payment for rent by Western Union, because In xxxxxx is it not possible.
Please let me know so soon as possible your new IBAN code.
Thanks so much, for your understanding and patience.
Bests regards
Lila
***************
Hi Lila,
I'm just through to my Lawyer and he has reconfirm the Bank details again for me and details as follows;
*****
I will be looking forward to see the payment so that we can move to next face of the rent.Hope it will go through this time round
Have a nice day :)
Cheers,
Carol
Who knows, maybe the mistake was made on purpose, so we would make the payment as fast as possible and without any doubts.
Hi Carol,
Thank you for Bank details.
My bank has just one question:
which code is correct:
Is it
IBAN: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ??? (second code)
or
IBAN: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ??? (first code with lettres xxxx)
I want make transfer today .
Thank you
Have a nice day
Lila
What an interesting, logical sentence :) If she had written thiis to me, I would have been sure that she is not a native speaker.
Hey,
I'm sorry for this pain in the neck...Since the credit crisis UK banks are not effective because i'm tired all this hastle from the Bank The correct IBAN is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm just through again from my lawyer so everything is OK now
Carol
And now, here is her anwer to my last message:
Hi Carol, thank you for the signed contract. Yes, the transaction is
> completed, I expect the money to come within this week.
> Let me please know when the lawyer receive the payment.
>
> best regards
>
> Mathiew
Here is the very last communication with Carol. We sent her what she asked for: a payment confirmation. Another weird thing is that she asked for the confirmation for several times. I do not know what her problem was, but this was probably the first time when these criminals coordinated withdrawing a bank transfer payment. Surprisingly, the lawyer wrote back to me that this all is a scam only 2 hours after we sent her the payment confirmation for the last time. Is it just a coinsidence that he had not got back to me for a week and suddendly wrote after Carol got the confirmation? I have the eerie feeling that this is not only bad luck and it was synchronized from the very beginning....
From: Graham Gover <graham@grahamgover.co.uk>
Date: 2010/8/24
Subject: Re: Inicial payment for the rent
Dear Matthiew,
I am in no way associated with Carol Wallace. This is a scam. I have
been contacted by other people interested in renting that property who
have been as suspicious as you.
I believe that she does not own the property which is why she is using
Western Union for receipt of funds.
Regards,
Graham
Graham Gover Solicitor
10 Southernhay West Exeter EX1 1JG
TEL 01392 423090 FAX 01392 423446 MOB 07799 067709 WEB ggsolicitor.co.uk
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority No. 126804
On 14 Aug 2010, at 14:21,
> From: > Subject: Inicial payment for the rent
>> Message Body:
> Dear Mr. Gover,
>> I believe that you are representing Mrs. Carol Wallace in the matter of rental service for her apartment in Edinburgh. My name is Mathiew and I am supposed to make a payment via Western Union on your account. However, I have been experiencing many difficulties regarding to this payment. Every post office I have visited strongly advised me not to make this payment via WU, because of many fraudelant transaction being made through this company. Please understand my concerns about this payment - Western Union has a very bad reputation in my country and is solely used for scamming practices. Therefore, the request from Carol Wallace to send you money via WU was completely inconceivable for me. Once someone sends money via WU, there is no way to get the money back supposing that it is a scam.
> Hereby I would like to ask you if there were other possibilites to send you money in order to make the contract valid. I would rather make a bank transfer or send you an insured letter, anything else but Western Union. Demanding WU payment as the only possibility does not seem to be either credible, or fair.
> I would really apreciate if you would consider other payment possibilites for me.
>> thank you very much for your swift reply
>> faithfully
>>
Meanwhile, the whole week my mother communicated about the payment with Carol.
Perfect,
Could you get back to me with confirmation receipt from the Bank?
So that i can forward it my Lawyer in other to prepare the acknowledgment receipt straight away
Hope to read from you soon
Cheers,
Carol
***************
Hi Carol,
i send you the confirmation of the transaction,
from my IBAN code
Bank details: Bank Slovenska sporitelna, Slovak republic (membre of the group Erste bank)
I have forwarded the confirmation to my lawyer and as soon as he received the payment i will get back to you with the acknowledgment receipt. Oops...can't wait to see you soon.
Regards,
Carol
***************
24.8. 2010 0:02
Hey,
I'm still waiting for my Lawyer to get back to me with acknowledgment receipt probably because they're always busy this time of the year and you have nothing to fear or worry about the room is fully secure and reserve for you.Hope to see you soon.
Cheers,
Carol
My mother replied to the last Carol's message only two hours before I received the email from Graham Gover :(
Hi Carol,
I sand you again the details of the bank transaction for your lowyer.
Best regards
Lila
So, that is it - I do not know what to say.I only hope that that asshole will be found and this blog makes everyone more vigilant about any dubious business....
You can clearly see that I wrote openly about my conerns with Carol.
Hi Carol,
I am writing to you from XXXX. My father told me that he had some
difficulties with the payment. We need to set up a security question
for the payment. I have no idea what it is, but I suppose it is
important for the payment identification. Anayway, I was strongly
warned not to do the payment via Western Union and honestly I do not
like that idea at all, but if you insist, I will do so. Send me please
your cellphone number (so we can send SMS messages to one another) and
also your signed contract.
I hope we will find the way how to work this out
best regards
Mathiew
I tried to get her cell phone number for the second time. I wrote this message in a separate thread, therefore I was not surprised when she wrote to my earlier messages.
Hi Carol, I am not sure if I had sent you my cellphone number, so just
in case it is: xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx. Since now it will be very difficult
for me to be online, so please if you have something urgent, write me
an SMS
best regards
Mathiew
OMG, it was more than obvious that she was trying to make pressure on me. A classical scammer move and I explained it (again wrongly) that she was worried about the payment and communication with her lawyer. Now I looked like an asshole, because Stefanie had already paid and I had constant troubles with that.
Interesting is that she gave me her lawyer s number for the second time. He must have been involved in this, otherwise she would not have pushed his number to me with such confidence.
Hey Mathiew,
How is xxxxxx?I understand your concern but i have explained everything to you yesterday about the banking credit crisis in the United Kingdom but It would be better if you can transfer the money through western union as soon as possible so that we could proceed with next face of rent and you have nothing to fear or worry about the room is fully secure and reserve for you.You can use my Lawyer's name for security question and answer will be rent
So I will be happy if you can make the payment as soon as possible so that the Acknowledgment Receipt can be issued and Lease
contract signed.Looking forward to hearing from you soon
Hope you had great time in Xxxxxxxxx :)
Warm Regards, Carol
P.S i have decided to give you my Lawyer contact information for quarante and peace of mind
Name:Graham Gover Solicitor Tel:+447024092634
I was having some troubles on my trip and on the top of all, I still did not finish this accommodation issue.
Hi Carol, thank you, I will do my best. Hopefuly by tomorrow my family
will arrange the payment. Ok, the answer to the security question will
be "rent". I am doing OK, I am just upset that I did not get a place
on a train to Paris, so I cannot see it. Never mind, one day would not
be enough anyway ;)
pls send me a number where I can text you, otherwise I will have no
means to inform you about the payment.
best regards
Mathiew
So far, you could see several minor grammar mistakes (both in my emails and notes and her correspondence) Therefore, I thought that her mistakes were made just due to distraction or fluster. I would not have dreamed of an idea that she was a Nigerian scammer who did not have English as his/her mother tongue
Hey,
I have informed already informed Stefanie what you're going to do in case you can't through to my Lawyer
Hope to see you soon in Edinburgh
Cheers, Carol
My mother still refused to pay via WU and I decided to make an excuse on that. Here I made a confident request to pay via regular bank transfer and stated my reasons for that. Ironically, I wrote about my worries that actually came true....
11.8 2010 18:25
Hi Carol, it looks I have another problem. The person I cannot get
through will be not your lawyer, but my mother :P Now I am away and
she cannot catch on that the payment neither dangerous, nor
fraudelant. You know, the Western Union has a very bad reputation in
Slovakia and everybody asking for money is automatically suspected to
by a scammer. I believe you, but simply I cannot tell her what she
should do with her money. Since I am completely broke and she is that
pesron who is temporarily lending me money, I cannot do anything with
that. I tried to persuade her, but unsuccessfully. Anyway, I have
checked the bank situation and I think it cannot be as bad as you are
saying. You told me that you would pay the fees for the transaction;
the fees makes more than 50€. By paying on your bank account I could
save your time, money and effort, therefore It would be much easier.
Or other alternative would be sending an insured letter on your home
address and you could have it cashed in any bank. Supposing that you
have a bank account, it should not have be a problem for you. All I
would need is the IBAN and SWIFT code, together with the photocopy of
your last bank statement.
I really do not want to complicate anything for you, but this is
really something I cannot solve while being away.
Please let me know asap what we could do with this situation
Regards,
Mathiew
She probably thought that I was not going to pay at all and did not write back. Waiting for her answer, it took me five days to write the next message. I wrote a final message that supposing she did not give me other option as WU, I was not going to realize the payment. In fact, I would not have paid the money and had not written the next message at all if Stefanie had not already paid - at that time I really could not chicken out of that, so I rather tried to make a final request to show that I was not going to back down about the payment option. Again, here is another sign that the lawyer cannot be innocent in this case: he was supposed to reply to my email and he did not. Who knows, they might have been considering setting up a bank account where I could transfer the money....
16..8.2010 17:34
Hi Carol, it has been a while since I wrote to you and you has not got
back. I was asking about some other payment posibilities and wrote to
your solicitor as well, but neither of you answered. I have travelled
around the whole Europe and everyone whom I told that I am supposed to
transfer money via WU was looking at me as if I were either stupd or
crazy. If you had agreed with a bank transfer, you would have had the
money on your account in several days - in this way we are just
holding up the whole procedure. Please understand my conerns - I can
believe you, but I have absolutely no guarantee. If you were in my
place, you would act the same way.
I really want to ask you for another payment option. All I want is a
serious business and paying via Western Union seems neither credible,
nor fair.
Before I received and signed the contract, I had had several small talks with Carol. Her swift, compassionate and kind responses only assured me that there was nothing to be afraid of.
Dear Carol,
I am coming on 02.09 at.22:40. Tomorrow evening I am leaving for a vacation trip and it is not sure whether I will have a good internet connection, therefore it would be great if we could arrange everything with the contract and deposit before I leave. If not, no worries, I will find a way how to work it out ;)
best regards
Mathiew
Here is her response:
Hey Mathiew,
How is your weekend?I understand your concern but i have already informed my Lawyer about the urgency involved in the Lease contract.So i will get back to you as soon as possible.Looking forward to welcoming you soon.
Cheers,
Carol
I was leaving for a vacation trip and did not have enough time to arrange everything. I could have paid by Western Union (WU) that day, but I decided not to do and ask for a bank transfer option. In the end, I did not manage to realize the payment, so I ask my parents to take care of in my absence.
Hi Carol,
thank you for the contract, I will look through it in a a while. Today I can pay via Western Union at 4-5pm, however, I would prefer paying via bank transfer - it is much safer and more convenient for me. The only disadvantage is that the money arrives within 2-3 days. I could save considerably on fees if I could pay it this way (I have money transfer within Europe for free). All I would need for that is an IBAN and SWIFT code. But if you really insist on a payment via Western Union, I can do that.
In an hour I will send back the signed contract ;)
best regards
Mathiew
After seeing the contract and checking her lawyer I was sure that this is not a scam and stopped my suspicion towards her, at least for a while.
Hi Carol,
Here is the signed contract. Honestly I must say that I am pretty impressed by the rigorously prepared contract. We are also renting a flat, but I would never think of many points you have included in your contract. I will surely inspire my family by that.
I left blank the date and the 18. point. Everything is clear to me, I am just concern about point 11. I really hope that the rent will not be increased considerably. I understand that this part must be there for legal purposes, but hopefully you are not planning to raise the rent.
Now I will be online and try to reply to your emails asap. If there is anything you need, please let me know.
cheers,
Mathiew
p.s. - I do not have a scanner, is the photocopied contract as it is ok for you?
Ironically, she was damned good at driving away all my conerns. I checked the “bank crisis“ as she described it and I could not find anything to prove that she was telling true. “Await your urgent response“ did not stress me as much as the fact that I was leaving away and could not see this thing through to the end.
Hi Mathiew,
Thanks for the swift response...the photo copy is alright and i understand your concern about paragraphs 18 and I'm assuring you that i will not increase the rent during your stay in my apartment.Since the credit crisis Banks in the UK are not efficient,fast and it takes up to 5 working days for the transaction to clear in the bank since the UK are not in Euro Zone Currency Area.Transfer charges will be refunded upon your arrival and It would be better if you can transfer the money through western union as soon as possible so that we could proceed with next face of rent.I am positive about you and I have reserved one of the room for you straight away.Await your urgent response
Looking forward to welcoming you soon into my apartment.
Regards,
Carol
First time I asked for a cellphone number. It was a clear warning sign that since she cannot provide me with it, I should be more carefull. However, I thought that she simply does not have a UK number, or she forgot to write it down for me, or she does not want to divulge her private number. Damn it, it makes me wince to even think about that. I will not excuse myself for being absent, without a proper internet access, etc. I was just stupidly naive....
Hi Carol,
Thank you for your explanation about the bank situation in the UK. If you really wish so, I will pay by Western Union. I am just not sure I can make it today. I have only two hours left to my departure for vacation, if I do not make it today, I will leave money and instruction for my family and someone will pay it. Can you please write me your cellphone number, so I can inform you about the transaction when it is done?
Thank you for preparing everything for me. I will arrive in Edinburgh at 22:40. I hope I can find some buses to your place from the airport so late at night. Don't you mind that I come so late?
best regards
Mathiew
The number to this lawyer is genuine. I tried to reach him several times, but unfortunately, I did not realise that it was Sunday. Usually, if you are aware of a fraud, you check the person whom you send the money. I did so and there was no doubt about him. His internet website, registration in government websites, even several published cases and explanations. This information just led me to the conclusion that he is a real lawyer and I was just being to sceptical. As we know, my gut feeling was right.
Cunningly, she wrote me an anwer to my conern about the arrival, but she did not mention a word about her cell phone number.
Hey Mathiew,
Not a problem...at all.but i will advise you take taxi from the Airport directly to my doorstep and the ride will cost you around 16£ and I have decided to give you my lawyer phone number for guarantee and peace of mind
Name:Graham Gover
Tel:+447024092634
As soon as he received your payment he will issue acknowledgment receipt for you as prove of payment made to secure accommodation in Edinburgh.Oops...can't wait to see you soon
Have a nice and fabulous holiday :)
Cheers,
Carol
As my parents came to the post office, they were strongly warned not to proceed such a high payment via WU due to many fraudelant transcation. They got back to me that I should ask Carol for a bank transfer option again, so I had to reconsider my next steps. At that time I was in Geneve, wanting to enjoy my time there and not think about anything else. In fact, I was pissed off that they still had not made the payment and reprimanded my mother her scepticism. She was right, I was right, so why the hell did we realize the payment? Probably just because we thought that we won by contriving to get an option to pay via bank trasfer and there is no risk in bank transfers.
Since I was on vacation, I could not answer to Carol´s emails quickly. Therefore, Stefanie took over the communication with Carol about the contract issue.
Hi Stefanie,
Once more Thanks for your interest, I've attached copy of my international passport and lease agreement contract duly prepared by my lawyer and I want you to go through it carefully to study the terms and conditions.If you agree,sign the lease agreement and send it back to me in other to sign my own part.You will be making payment to confirm the reservation and has to be paid to my lawyer, He prefer Western union Money Transfer because is safe,fast,convenient to send money and you can locate Western union services at many post office,bureaux de change, Western union retail outlets and anywhere you see the Western union sign.
My Lawyer's Name and Address for the transfer:
Beneficiary:Graham Gover
Address:10 Southernhay West,
City: Exeter,
Post code:EX1 1JG,
Country:United Kingdom.
Immediately,He confirm your payment he will issue you receipt for the reservation.Please get back to me as soon as possible so that I could be positive about the reservation and proceed to next phase of your rent.You can reach me on my MSN messenger baroness.wallace@live.com
Looking forward to welcoming you into my apartment.
I became suspicious immediately after I saw that she wanted us to pay via Western Union. This company is very well known for turning a blind eye to the use of its services in border-related crime. However, we received a rigorously prepared lease contract, copy of her passport, contact on her solicitor and even a proof of ownership. How we were to know that it was all faked? I checked the lawyer; I found authentic websites reffering to him, several cases he has solved, even few presentations from several conferences and semiars: there was no doubt about him. Nevertheless, I wanted to contrive that I could pay via bank money transfer which I found safer and more secured and this was her response to my enquiry. As you will see, later I suceeded, but it did not help me at all. Both I and Stefanie lost our money.
You were selected as a trustworthy person to read this secret blog. Although the names has been changed, I am still afraid that the scammer can easily identify us by searching for the same email copies. This blog reveales the entire communication with the scammer and point out to his ingeniousness by this perfectly prepared crime. My remarks are meant to show another hidden details about this case that were not mentioned in emails. I will appreciate any comments or advice regarding to this case and hereby I would like ask you to spread the first blog around your friends and relative in order to prevent similar frauds.
As an outgoing Erasmus Exchange student from the University of Vienna, I was looking for some suitable accommodation in Edinburgh for this winter term that I am going to spend in the UK . In July and August I posted several adds on different websites in hope that I can get a good offer in time. I supposed that in August and September it would be difficult to find any apartments due to new semester rush and hustle around sudent housing, so I thought in advance. Together with a friend of mine, we had been wading through many offers until we decided. We chose a good looking apartment in the downtown for a reasonable price without the faintest idea that we were going to be deceived. Indeed, the offer did not look like too good to be true – everything seemed genuine and we had no suspicion at all. Here is the copy of the first email:
Von: Carol Wallace
Datum: 03. August 2010 22:46:15 GMT+02:00
An:
Betreff: Apartment Details and Pictures
Hello Stefanie,
Thanks for your interest,The two rooms are still available for rent.The apartment is three bedrooms which is recently completely refurbished to a very high standard. Practically a brand new house inside, tastefully and stylishly furnished,It’s a beautiful house with a splendid eat-in kitchen and en suite bathroom with a separate shower and tub (see photos)I'm the only one staying in the apartment for now.Conveniently located at 3 Grassmarket,Edinburgh, EH1 2HY.Edinburgh city centre,Popular upmarket Area.Close to Waverley train station,Festival Theatre, Usher Hall,2mins walk to shops,bar,Gym,Tesco,Boots,Pizza Hut,restuarants,Sainsbury's,Marks and Spencer etc.bus number as follow:22,25,7, 14, 12,16,10,11,44,26, 15,49,etc.Excellent airport access as the Edinburgh Shuttle the station.
The bedrooms is large (16’6 x 15’), and comes with an en-suite private bathroom (7’3 x 5’6).It occupies the entire second (top) floor and
offers you a lot of privacy from the rest of the house. It’s a lovely bright room with large South facing windows.There’s a sitting area with a nice sofa so it’s practically a studio.Kitchen (14’6 x 15’) fully fitted kitchen with refrigerator,cooker,washing machine,chest drawers and
microwave oven. Livingroom/Dinningarea (19’8 x 18’).A bright and spacious livingroom/ diningarea,Sofas,tasteful bespoke lighting,double
windows and central heating,broadband internet and LCD.A house of this quality is rarely ever available for house share.(See attached photos)
The rent is very reasonable £300/month/room including Gas,Electricity,internet,council tax etc and fully refundable security deposit of £330.There is free parking (no permit necessary)on the street.Ideally I would only ever consider renting to cool,considerate,congenial and reliable people so you will find your housemates to be so.
I'm flexible and very quiet but friendly,29 years old,Single,Cabin Crew with Easyjet.I'm easy going,down to earth that Love art,theatre,music,sporty and being active.Please let me know as soon as possible if you're still interested.
Warm Regards,
As I said, there were no warning signs that this could be a scam. The language usage was correct and appropriate, the location seemed to be genuine (I did not think about checking every address from oncoming offers) and in a nutshell, this email did not raise any doubts. If you want to hunt for any clues that could bring you to the conclusion that this is fake, please state your reasons in your comments - I will be glad to read any feedback.
Needless to say, we accepted this offer and started further arrangements. In the beginning we we asked to provide basic personal details, passport copies, phone numbers, etc.
In my opinion this is a standard procedure that everyone would do if he/she wanted to rent an apartement and make all arrangemenets prior to arrival via email. Here is my very first email to Carol:
Dear Carol,
Stefanie told me that I should send you my contact information for the contract. She said that was rather urgent, so I am writing to you right now in order to arrange it. However, I am not sure about my exact date of arrival yet I must be in Edinburgh at latest on 06.09 and now I am considering my travel options. I hope you do not mind if I inform you about my arrival on Monday..
Here is the contact information:
Name: xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx
Address: xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxx xx
Phone number: xxxxxx xxxx xxx xxxx xx
Btw, thank you very much for your offer. I find it as the best one and I am really looking forward to moving in.
