Advertisement and Fraud

Have you ever gotten an email that you clearly can tell is a fraud?

I’ve gotten a few of those fraudulent emails. Some of which claimed to be from the FBI informing me that someone left me an inheritance somewhere and that the FBI needs my personal information before it can send me the money.
I don’t know but the FBI of all organizations to choose. Why anyone would mess with the FBI?

Of course, there are many who try to defraud by putting advertisements in: craigslist.org
Below is the advertisement, which was posted on Craigs List on February 23, 2009. I include the email that I sent to the advertiser and the response that I received. I’m sure that it is a fictitious name that someone is using to make the advertisement appear legitimate

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"$1200 / 2br - Condo in Georgetown (Georgetown)

Reply to: hous-1046490020@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-02-23, 5:10AM EST

The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics),the unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat.....this Fabulous Condo (2 Bedrooms/2 Baths) is located on Grace St. at Wisconsin Ave,1 block to M street,1 block to Waterfront Park, ....... "
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Below is the response that I got:
" From: "Dorothy Parker" Add sender to Contacts To: marieapt@yahoo.comMessage contains attachments1.jpg (30KB), 10.jpg (27KB), 11.jpg (24KB), 12.jpg (25KB), 2.jpg (29KB), 3.jpg (29KB), 4.jpg (29KB), 5.jpg (37KB), 6.jpg (24KB), 7.jpg (24KB), 8.jpg (30KB), 9.jpg (22KB)

Hello,


Thanks for taking the time to look at my property.My name is Dorothy Parker,I'm 48 years old,I'm a construction engineer and I'm the owner of this condo(2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1100 square footage).I lived in this beautiful condo for over 5 years,loved every day of it.It's located in the heart of Georgetown at 3210 Grace St.
The prime location can't be beat and the garaged parking is an amenity sure to be appreciated by anyone(located at 1/2 block to M street,1/2 block to Georgetown Waterfront Park....Views of Potomac and Downtown Arlington from balcony)
The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics),the unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, the condo come with two parking spots,a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you don't like it and you want use your furniture),there is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier.Pets allowed.I've moved to United Kingdom with my job (i am a construction engineer) and decided to
rent it because the rent is is very expensive here.The price is so low because I'm here and is very hard to find a tenant.I can rent you the condo for max. 6 years .I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself.The rent of the condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, Internet,cable, parking,air conditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account.You can move in the condo in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m
the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in United States that could show you the condo.In order to check it,see if you like it(I'm sure that you'll love it),you need to receive the keys and the contract. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both.The solution is provided by a company called RENT (www.rent.com) which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys .A friend of mine moved here from California and used the company to resolve the same problem . This procedure allow you to pay the rent only after you will receive the keys,after you will
see it, decide if you will stay in the condo or not( I will receive the payment after you'll check the condo).If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and I will send you the details step by step.
Let me know if you are interested because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week.


Regards,"


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My recipe:
“If it’s too good to be true; it is too good to be true”. If you wre to see the pictures of the apartment listed, you'd know that it's too good of a deal that it had to be a fraud.


Beware of consumer fraud. Although this one looks obvious, often, other advertisements appear legitimate and these crooks manage to deceive many. Let’s expose those who try to deceive.

In the days to come, we will post more information on fraud, types of fraud and some of the steps to take to keep you from being a victim.

You’re welcome to post your comments and share your experiences.