Can you help me see if this is a scam or not?

patrizia · **Joined:** Sat Feb 21, 2009 12:20 pm **Posts:** 17

This is definatly a SCAM........
Do not get involved. it sounds very similar to the scam that I was involved in. Stick to renting to someone locally!!!!

Patrizia

lipslips · **Joined:** Tue Mar 17, 2009 9:30 am **Posts:** 2

lville2009 · **Joined:** Mon May 04, 2009 12:21 am **Posts:** 4

"The check came FED EX, Overnight. Took it directly to bank, end result, they realized immediately, it was a counterfeit check, and wanted to know if she had ask for money back..IE..shipper changed mind and wanted money up front." - porsha5

I wish my bank had been as astute (as well as myself!). I completely fell for an almost identical scam and it cost me over $1200. My bank deposited the fraudulent money orders for me - I even told them what I was doing with them when I went in to deposit them. I transferred the money, five days later the funds were reversed from my account as they are fake and now I'm screwed. I actually got a second batch of fake money orders for $4300...fortunately I did not make the same mistake twice.

Whoever picked up the money ("April James") did so in a town called Nevada, Missouri, which is all of 9 square miles with 4 Western Unions. You would think it would be rather simple to set the receiver up to think they're getting a second batch of money and catch them in the act. I reported it to my local PD, as well as Western Union's fraud dept. and contacted the Nevada, MO PD, but I somehow got the impression law enforcement doesn't give a crap about catching at least one of these people.

Does anyone know if there is any liability on the bank's part for not catching the fraudulent documents when they are accepted inside at a teller? I fail to understand how all the liability is on the victim. A bank should be far more able to verify a fraudulent document than the average person. It cleared the bank on 4/27 and was retracted 5/1. Just doesn't seem right.

Here is the first email I received from "Camille Rothrock" (camille_labtech@hotmail.com):

Hi,

How was your week ? I am responding to the ad you posted on craigslist that you have a room or townhouse presently up for lease.I want to confirm its availability directly in an email from you.I'll be happy if you rent the unit to me on a long term lease(6 mths or more) as I'll love to rent my personal place before my arrival to the US this May,presently I reside in Apt B12 park avenue Manchester UK, M19 2EE.

Here is my apartment landline +44-702-403-9255,if am not around my roommate Jim or Mark would be however I prefer email communications hope we can get along together though I know it kinda hard expressing oneself via email,but I'll put my pride in the gutters and try to be as explicit as possible.

About me...
Im a single 26 yo professional lady.I prefer cleanliness than any other traits,I'm honest,responsible,and hardworking while I dislike lazy,messy and uncaring people.I love pets so much,am a quiet and easy going person to live with. I'm straight but gay friendly. I always love to go on a date but seldom party. I neither smoke nor drink,I swim for fun and sometimes play tennis also i enjoy snowboarding. I must confess that i am comfortable with the price&utilities,I will like to secure the place down pending my arrival. I will also be shipping my things down to the States such as My Honda (SRX 2008)which I've been using for over 6 months now,and some personal effects. don't worry am not bringing in Furniture's I will easily purchase when i arrive. Moreover,Let me know how I can go about securing the place down and filling any necessary application before my arrival as i will busy this month preparing to come over as i plan to arrive in May 9th.

Reference: Doctor Thomas Robinson docthomas@irk.ca
My present roommate Mark Harry markharry777@irk.ca

I have been a laboratory technician for the past 1yr that involved in projects that include training of college and high school kids on laboratory management , blood diffusion and technological changes in the lab ,Diseases in children between the ages of 4-10yrs are also studied .Right now I have thought of it and understood that moving to the US will not only boost my career but also my personal life. I hope you will finally consider renting this room to me ,Know well that your rules and terms would be strictly adhered to in the house.

I have been introduced to different landlord and room owners but they don't seem easy to get along with, I hope we can get along well as I wait to read from you soon via email.

Sorry for the email novel .I look forward to hearing positive from you.

Kindest Regards
Camille.

PS: my pictures would be attached in the next mail,when am free at home.

admin · **Joined:** Mon Mar 31, 2003 10:09 pm **Posts:** 2921

lville2009

You need to go to this page and check out the info
http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/resour ... _check.htm

Quote:

Does anyone know if there is any liability on the bank's part for not catching the fraudulent documents when they are accepted inside at a teller? I fail to understand how all the liability is on the victim. A bank should be far more able to verify a fraudulent document than the average person. It cleared the bank on 4/27 and was retracted 5/1. Just doesn't seem right.

I agree with you. In this day and age you would think that there would be a way for them to actually verify the check, or at the VERY least they could tell you that "The funds will be available in 24 hours, but it could take up to 10 business days for the check to be honored"

lville2009 · **Joined:** Mon May 04, 2009 12:21 am **Posts:** 4

admin wrote:

lville2009

You need to go to this page and check out the info
http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/resour ... _check.htm

Quote:

Does anyone know if there is any liability on the bank's part for not catching the fraudulent documents when they are accepted inside at a teller? I fail to understand how all the liability is on the victim. A bank should be far more able to verify a fraudulent document than the average person. It cleared the bank on 4/27 and was retracted 5/1. Just doesn't seem right.

I agree with you. In this day and age you would think that there would be a way for them to actually verify the check, or at the VERY least they could tell you that "The funds will be available in 24 hours, but it could take up to 10 business days for the check to be honored"

Thank you for the links. I will utilize all those means to communicate this problem -some I have already. I am extremely frustrated that I reported to my local police, the police in Nevada, MO, the FBI, Western Union and my bank and no one seem obliged to pursue the matter immediately. I got another email today from the scammers who believe that they are going to be receiving another batch of money from me and I firmly believe that, at the very least, the person picking up the money could be apprehended with a small amount of action and diligence. I am going to make as much noise as possible over this.

lville2009 · **Joined:** Mon May 04, 2009 12:21 am **Posts:** 4

On verifying the money orders...

When I went to the bank to try and clear up my overdrafts I brought the second batch of fake money orders with me. The teller offered to call to verify them just to make sure they were fake. I told her I was 99% sure they were fake, but to go ahead. It took all of a minute for her to find out that they were reprints of money orders that had already been redeemed. I fail to understand, with all I've been reading about fraudulent money orders, why it is not standard practice for banks to call and verify a money order upon deposit...aside from the obvious fact that they appear to have no liability whatsoever. Something needs to be changed.

admin · **Joined:** Mon Mar 31, 2003 10:09 pm **Posts:** 2921

lville2009 wrote:

On verifying the money orders...

When I went to the bank to try and clear up my overdrafts I brought the second batch of fake money orders with me. The teller offered to call to verify them just to make sure they were fake. I told her I was 99% sure they were fake, but to go ahead. It took all of a minute for her to find out that they were reprints of money orders that had already been redeemed. I fail to understand, with all I've been reading about fraudulent money orders, why it is not standard practice for banks to call and verify a money order upon deposit...aside from the obvious fact that they appear to have no liability whatsoever. Something needs to be changed.

What I have been told for years now is that because of the number of cashier's checks and money orders that come through a bank on a daily basis, the tellers do not have time do this verification process with each and every document . . . also, the totaly percentage of fakes is low enough that for the banks it does not pay to take the time to check each and every one . . . now, if someone ASKS for them to do it, like you did, they will.

I agree, I feel that something needs to change. This is why I have been trying for years to get this matter to the attention of someone who could change the laws and require the banks to do these verifications. What to join me in this fight?

patrizia · **Joined:** Sat Feb 21, 2009 12:20 pm **Posts:** 17

Scam, Scam, Scam.....I got scammed 2500$ by the same people.

Janez · **Posted:** Wed May 06, 2009 7:48 pm

Quote:

What to join me in this fight?

Sign me up. Just let me know what I need to do. I am so mad that there are so many scammers on the net and I am going to fight them anyway I can.

lville2009 · **Joined:** Mon May 04, 2009 12:21 am **Posts:** 4

I also filed a complaint here with the OCC:

http://www.occ.treas.gov/mail1.htm

I believe that this type of fraud could be avoided in the future with a little added bank regulation with regard to money orders and 'available funds.' If other people would like to write letters urging the same loopholes that allow this to go on be addressed, then feel free to use some of what I wrote them as inspiration:

Quote:

That aside, I am under the impression that my bank has zero liability with regard to this matter and I am to absorb all the costs, overdraft charges included. If that is the law, then it needs to be changed.

From what Iâ€™ve read about the â€œavailability of fundsâ€ and how banks do business, banks operate legally under the guise of maintaining a steady flow of money/business. To me, however, it is a convenient loophole that not only protects banks from any fiscal responsibility but also creates a viable market for scammers and thieves. If the bank has no liability to verify fraudulent money orders upon deposit, and the liability lies solely with the victim, then why would a bank exert any effort to identify a fake money order? They wouldnâ€™t. Not to mention my bank has made a total of $404 off of me thanks to the overdraft charges and reversed check fees that I have racked up as a result of the fraudulent money order scam. The bank can claim that itâ€™s not their fault, yet I am the actual victim of a crime and it is somehow my fault? It just doesnâ€™t seem fair. Both the scammers AND the bank made a profit off me.

In my case it took 5 days for the bank to identify the money orders as fake and reverse the funds from my account; I was not notified of the fraudulent money orders until 3 days after the funds reversed. In those 3 days I made charges that overdrew my account 11 times at $34 apiece. To believe that the bank has no intention of making a quick buck this way seems incredibly foolish. National City claims they are not at fault and refuses to remove the charges from my account, to add insult to injury.

Another point I would like to make is that a bank employee should be far more adept at identifying a fake money order than the average person, such as me. That alone makes it so hard for me to understand how the liability lies entirely on the fraud victim.

I also intend to file a case in small claims court against my bank if they do not remove the overdraft fees from my account. The fraudulent funds were removed on Friday and I was not notified until Monday, after I had made charges all weekend assuming the money was there. I did not receive a call from Nat. City Loss Prevention until Monday afternoon when I was already at the bank trying to fix my account. Surely there is some negligence there. At the very least I'm hoping the bank deems it easier to credit me than to pay a lawyer to show up and defend them.

Video I found on taking banks to court over overdraft fees:
http://tinyurl.com/c5hybl

I hope some of this is of use to other people.

admin · **Joined:** Mon Mar 31, 2003 10:09 pm **Posts:** 2921

Please also read my guest blog on the NW3C site that relates to this

http://informant.nw3c.org/2009/05/educa ... _1766.html

along with the info at the bottom of this page

http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/resour ... _check.htm

whiskey3 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:30 am **Posts:** 2

Now the scammer is going by Cayce.....full of crap.

06/19/2009

Hi,
How are you?Sorry for the late reply,i have been very busy with sick mother in the hospital and other things.Thanks so much for the reply.Am sorry, i would have liked to call you on phone to discuss this rental issue but my phone service provider wont let me make international call at the moment.You can call me on phone +447024039255 at home today or tomorrow but i always have full access to my emails.you can reach me 7.pm my time as i guess that will be six hours behind your time.If am not at home,my flatmate,Jim,will be. You can add me on Yahoo messenger if you care to chat(roommatelink@yahoo.com)

I'll be happy if you can rent out the place to me for 6-12 months term lease, as i'll love to get a place before my arrival.

More about me,I am half Brit from dad and half Asian from mum,a science laboratory worker,mostly spend my time in the laboratory experimenting,divorced female of 29yrs,i am educated(undergraduate and post graduate degree), am very active in sport (ski, surf,swimming),a good Christian,very low key and relaxed to live with. I DON'T smoke nor drink and i DON'T mind if flat mates do, I DON'T have a pet also. Presently staying at 10 Marlborough Road, London, E7 8,GB .Tel:+44-702-403-9255

I like honest,responsible,trustworthy and hardworking people while I dislike lazy,messy,uncaring people and I love pets so much,am quiet and easy going person to live with. I'm 5'7' straight. I always love to go on date but seldom party. I swim for fun and sometimes play tennis. I must confess am comfortable with the price and I will want to secure the place down before my arrival so i will want you to tell me all about the place,as i can't see it before my arrival .i will also need to see the pictures...Attached is my picture ,just to give you a clue of who you are renting to.I hope you like it,i am not a picture loving person though.

I also will want you to know that i have my car that i will be coming over with,and little of my furniture,please let me know if there will be room for them?

I don't have a job lined up for me there yet but will look for upon my arrival.My Uncle will be responsible for my rent until i get a good Job,Please understand.

Moreover,Let me also know how i can go about securing the place down before my arrival as i will also be busy from next week preparing to come over as i plan to arrive by July 15th,2009/My Arrival date is flexible.

Please,feel free to ask me any more question as i am very happy to join you and more so, i will love to always get email from you on how the event unfold till my arrival.

For references reason,kindly contact below:
Former landlord :Miranda Walton(miranda.walton@hotmail.com)
Roommate:Allan Barclay(allanbarclay@gmail.com)

For easy communication ,you can IM me at (roommatelink@yahoo.com) we can chat anytime.

Thanks,I will appreciate every of your effort to assist me in this traveling plans as i will be very happy to know you more than just roommates when i get there.Am very friendly and generous.

Again,Thanks and best regards

Cayce.

Snowsue · **Joined:** Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:38 pm **Posts:** 1

This really helped me. I got the exact same story of an instant message.

Definitely a scammer, her Roommates.com name is LGlover82 Yahoo ID banita76@yahoo.com

Her story is similar to this. We were chatting on yahoo messanger and I tried to confirm her story and came up with this, someone typed it on scamvictimsunited.com and it was the exact same story she typed on the messanger

I asked for specifics, what hospital or lab she will work with. Where will her job be located in the city. She had no specifics so I called her out. She said thanks for the insult and I deleted her and got out of the conversation.

Here is our entire IM conversation...

banita76 BUZZ!!!
banita76 Hello
snowsuesbug hi
banita76 how are you doing?
snowsuesbug hot
snowsuesbug trying to not put the AC in the window, but not sure if I can take it much longer
banita76 Ok
banita76 how was ur day been so far?
snowsuesbug fine, its my "sunday" I worked on the yard but had to keep taking breaks to come inside because its cooler, went grocery shopping, nothing fancy
banita76 I see
snowsuesbug and you?
banita76 thanks for getting back to me
snowsuesbug no prob
snowsuesbug I just cleaned the whole place, wiped down everything in the spare room
banita76 ok
snowsuesbug my old roommate left a lot of stuff, all he left with was a car load, no furniture or big things
banita76 ok
snowsuesbug so what's your situation, what are you looking for and why are you looking?
banita76 looking for a room as i ve posted it on roommates
snowsuesbug yeah, besides that. LIke any specifics?
snowsuesbug why are you looking, like are you inbetween leases, are you moving to town, did you get kicked out? there's lots of reasons, I'm just curious
banita76 I am a Pathologist by profession, presently work for Stairway to Health - Registered Organizations under the inspection of W.H.O/UNICEF as a microbiologist/Researcher; I do more of humanitarian work which is out of my real profession.
banita76 live and work in canada presently...
banita76 I have a special assignment that will last upto 12months.
banita76 so am looking to sign 12months lease
snowsuesbug ok
snowsuesbug I don't mean to be rude at all, but there are a LOT of spammers with that type of story, they are always from out of town, usually work in humanitarian work, usually from France strangely enough. I've never gotten one on Roommates.com but there are a lot on craigslist
banita76 I see
snowsuesbug every hear of that?
snowsuesbug I mean ever hear of that
banita76 not sure..as am not familiar with craiglist
snowsuesbug its a free ad site for anything
snowsuesbug from roommates to pets to cars to jobs
banita76ok
snowsuesbug So Stairway to Health is a canadian organization, what are they doing in the USA?
snowsuesbug will you be with a hospital? if so which one?
snowsuesbug I'm pretty close to Froedhert and not far from a lot of others
banita76 Hospitals and Laboratories
snowsuesbug Do you know where abouts in Milwaukee?
banita76 the venue will be posted to me along with my final confirmation of my employment letter
snowsuesbug You are a spammer, if you weren't you would have specifics and your story is all over the web. I'm smarter than that, sorry. Find a real job
banita76 thanks for the insult

tizzie13 · **Joined:** Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:51 pm **Posts:** 1

Hi there. I just wanted to add something to this. Today I found out that this "Anita Brown" was trying to scam my ex-husband. Her email address is banita76@yahoo.com My ex has listed a room for rent at his home at roommates.com and this person responded. I found it interesting that one of the emails she sent my ex (he sent me copies to view) is exactly what someone else above received. Here is some of it.

Hi There, How re you doing? I hope all is well. I'm Anita Brown, am 27 yrs old and Am originally from Barcelona, Spain .. Graduate of Huerta University on the Costa DE la Luz, I have a master degree in interior fashion and I work as a professional fashion designer. I moved to Loves Park, IL two year ago for work and that's where am living. I'm am not in the states right now, I am presently in Italy .. I am currently working on contract for a company call (European Family Home Fashions) here in Rome ( ITALY) which the contract will be ending soon. I will be returning to states in two weeks time and I don't want to go back to my where am living in Phoenix because my house rent has expired there. I enjoy traveling, It is very interesting to get more knowledge about the new countries, new people and traditions. It's great to have such a possibility.
As I was searching through the web I saw the advert of your room. I would like to know maybe it's still available because I'm extremely interested in it. Here are the questions I would like to know about the room before planing to move in to the following questions below:
A}I will like to know the major intersection nearest your neighborhood.like shopping mall,Churches,bus line e.t.c
B}I will like to know the total cost for the my initial move as in first month rent and if you accept deposit.
C}I will like to know if there is any garage or parking space cos I will have my own car come over.
D}I will like to have the rent fee per month plus the utilities.
E}I will
like to have the description of the room, size, and the equipments in
there.
F}I will also like to know Your payment mode.
G}I will like to know if I can make an advance payment ahead my arrival that will be stand as a kind of commitment that I am truly coming over and for you to hold the room down for me.
I will be very glad to have all this questions answered with out leaving a stone unturned... Now a little about myself;I am from Barcelona, Spain : that means I am Spanish and had all my education in Spain .. I am 27yrs old and very much single,the only child of my only parent,my mother alive, I lost my father and my only brother years ago while I was still a kid in an auto accident. I am currently living with my mom who's a catholic volunteer worker, But also manages her antique business. She is a volunteer at the sister's of the Eucharistic heart of Jesus convent, Here in Barcelona , Spain .. I have been wanted to relocated to the US longtime ago even while I was a little girl growing up and my mom is in support.It' been a long dreamed come true for me when i finally settled in the US now. I have chosen your city for me to live when I arrive. I am easy to get along with and well mannered. I do not use people's items without permission and consideration.
Kindly get back to me ASAP with the your monthly rent and the deposit I need to pay to enable you turn down other interested parties and keep the place for me until I arrive, Because I will like to pay for the deposit before my arrival and I will like to know the total amount the rent for a whole year would be, As I am more interested in a long term lease, But still open to any form of lease you want. And I will like to pay the deposit first of all before I arrive to show my seriousness and so that you can hold the place for me until i arrive.I am single as i said and i am not attached to anyone at the moment. I do part time modeling; I call myself an amateur though, LOL,just something i take as a hobby and also I have a masters degree in interior fashion which I bagged from the Huelva University on the Costa de la Luz in Spain .. I will be looking to pick up Fashion Designer jobs once I arrive in your city, Fashion Designer is my life and I love it. I am new
living all alone as i have lived with my mom alone in the past but i have no dubs in my mind about my ability to live peacefully with as I was raised to be a lover of peace. A friend just introduced me to this thing and I really wish that i am able to find the good cultured kind of Place i am looking for here. I hope i am doing it right anyways.LOL. Well,i think we will get along well because am a easy going person who respects ones privacy,like I said I don't do drugs or smoke but I drink only occasionally, I strongly believe there will be any problems living with me as I was raised by strong catholic Christian parents and have imbibed such good qualities from childhood. I will love to see your pics and those of the place as well.I'll be so glad if you can reserve the room for me and remove all your the adverts abt the place as i'll love to rent the place.
Get back to me ASAP
Thanks and God Bless.
Warmest Regards,
Anita Brown.

So please everyone, be careful with this nasty person. Thankfully we have a website like this where we can all go to for assistance. All I had to do was google her email address and a lot of bad things about "her" came up. Best of luck to everyone.

Take care.

Kunzi · **Joined:** Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:43 am **Posts:** 3

100% scam, latest email

Hi,

How are you?Hope you are doing good. I saw your posted advert on Internet that you have a room available for rent with brief description but I still want to confirm the availability of the place and I will appreciate to know more about you , the neighborhood and utilities ,as I'll need to have a place as soon as possible ...

About me,I am half Brit from dad and half Asian from mum,a science teacher,mostly spend my time in the laboratory experimenting,divorced female of 30 yrs,I am educated(undergraduate and post graduate degree), am very active in sport (ski, surf,swimming),a good Christian,very low key and relaxed to live with. I DON'T smoke nor drink and I DON'T mind if flat mates do, I DON'T have a pet also.

Presently staying at 10 Marlborough Rd, Newham, London E7, UK,England,united Kingdom.,home contact number(+447024039255).....I'll let You know more about me if I can know the availability of the room.

I have been introduced to different landlord and room owners but they don't seem easy to get along with, I hope we can get along well as I wait to read from you soon via email.Please mail me to the address below:
liliansmith2006@gmail.com

Thanks and best regards,
Lilian Smith
liliansmith2006@gmail.com

Just don't bother with it

ScamVictimsUnited.com

Can you help me see if this is a scam or not?

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