Calgary police warn of rental scam

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CBC News (Canada) Monday, January 19, 2009  

Calgary police are reminding anyone searching the internet for an apartment to watch out for online scams.

In most cases, a person posing as a landlord says he or she is out of the country and requires a deposit on the rental. Once the money is paid, usually through a money transfer, the new tenant discovers there isn’t actually a rental.

The scam isn’t a new one, but police said it’s recently become more prolific and harder to spot because fraudsters are cutting and pasting text from real ads and using real photos. The only thing that is different is the contact information.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

Cops: Longwood woman scammed would-be renters

by Gary Taylor, Orlando Sentinel (U.S.), January 17, 2009

A Longwood woman has been doing a booming business renting out a DeBary house, but there was only one problem, Volusia County sheriff’s investigators said: She didn’t own it.

Libra Latham, 37, faces four counts of burglary, three counts of scheme to defraud and two counts of grand theft. She is being held in the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach with bail set at $60,000.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

Bed and Breakfast Scam on Craigslist Paris

This warning about a bogus bed & breakfast offered by someone using the name Sean Kirkham recently appeared on Craigslist. BEWARE!

Reply to: hous-809443590@craigslist.org 

Date: 2008-08-24, 12:24AM CEST

EUR50 Bed and Breakfast Scam (Paris)

Hi! I just got back from paris where I had rented a room in a bed and breakfast through Craig’s List. When I got to the address, the place was actually owned by a French couple. The police were familiar with this guy–Sean Kirkham–because apparently I was the third person that week with the same story AND he has stolen a fair amount of money from an adjacent bank. So…be careful! I’m attaching the ad below!

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The original scam ad:

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EUR50 / 3br – Amazing Bed and Breakfast in the Heart of Paris!! (Paris, Ille-de-France)            

Reply to: hous-809017685@craigslist.org  
Date: 2008-08-23, 9:56AM CEST 

We are a small bed & breakfast, just three rooms. We offer Free Internet access (cable & wireless – bring your laptop along), separate bathrooms, and a full continental breakfast (buffet) included. We provide you with towels, bathrobes, hairdryer, tourist maps, … and a warm welcome. 

The Main bedroom boasts a queen-size bed, a 20-inch flat screen TV, DVD player and sound system, and unique architectural details like a natural stone wall and a quaint Romeo and Juliet balcony that overlooks the lush courtyard. 

The price is 50 Euro per night (one person) or 60 Euro per night (two persons). Reductions are possible when staying more than 3 nights. 

 

More information about Sean Kirkham’s B&B scam can be found here.

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UPDATE: another warning has since been posted on Craigslist about the same scam being perpetrated under a different name:

 

EUR50 B & B in Paris – Buyer Beware!!!! (Marais)

Reply to: see below 

Date: 2008-09-12, 3:08PM CEST

Do not book a room with anyone who is offering a room in a B and B on Rue du Renard. He is a complete scam and will ask for 50 euro deposit but when you go there is no place. He will ask for the money through paypal, he will send you nice pictures of the place and will respond to your emails with details about the place and what a great choice you made. His email is billmckennainparis@gmail.com 

We have just also learned he goes by Sean Kirkham. 

Keep in mind that he will change his email and the location of the B & B but don’t pay anyone through paypal. We have also filed a complaint with the FBI and they are opening an investigation. So if you have also been frauded contact the FBI to further the case!