When a scam artist is featured on this site they inevitably have to change their name, email address, or often times both. The following losers have changed their email address twice in the past week, due in large part to making them feel uncomfortable.
Name: Kelly Smart
Email: Kellyjoe100@gmail.com
Name: Donna Hicks
Email: ftnuyjimeo@hotmail.com
20 comments:
Was recently scammed in Akron, Ohio by "Brian" Wrote a bad check (I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures and his "dad" verified it" ALFRED C. WILSON (5676 Broadview Rd. Apt. 418. Parma, OH 44134) Aim screenname: Musicliesinside.
Hi,I am looking for an apartment in the city and replied to an ad posted by ftnuyjimeo@hotmail.com and I received the following email:
Hello my name is Donna Hicks,
This beautifully renovated condo (2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Apt with Spiral Staircase to private outdoor terrace and spacious closets, ) was my home for the last five years and is located in Atlantic Ave & 125 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201. 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 apt for max. 5 years . I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal and financial information about yourself. I`m the owner and it's exactly like in the Pics.The rent of the apt for 1 month is $1100 including all utilities(water,electricity, Internet, cable,parking, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account.You can move in the apt in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who have the keys and I have no one in United States that could show you the apt.
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 apt or not( I will receive the payment after you'll check the apt).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.
------end----
Is this the same Donna Hicks the blog is referring to?
Thanks in advance for any word of advise.
R
This is definitely a SCAM. After asking Donna Hicks not to reply to my email if there was something illegal or unlawful about the whole deal, she replied with the following email:
Hello ,
Thank you again for your reply . If you are ready to proceed with this transaction I must tell you how this service work and what we need to do.
You have to deposit to RENT Service the first month of rent-$1100 and a security deposit of $1100, so they can proceed with the shipping of the keys and the contract. Like I said, I will pay for 2 days delivery so you'll receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain you step by step how this service work.
1 - To start this transaction i need to know your full shipping information (full name and shipping address)
2 - I'll go to a RENT Office and leave the Keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - RENT will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal documents that come along with the Keys.
4 - After they will check the documents , RENT will send you a delivery notification to let you know that they have the Keys and the documents in their custody.
5 - At this point you'll have to go to a Western Union Office and make a money deposit on the RENT agent name for the amount we agreed (the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent and for the security deposit).
6 - After you'll make the deposit you'll have to send the info about the money deposit to RENT .
7 - RENT will verify the deposit information's and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you.
8 - After you receive the keys and the contract, you must check the apt, decide if you keep the apt or not. If all is in order you'll instruct RENT to release the money to me. If you don`t like the apt they will return your money, and they will ship back to me the keys (you'll have 2 days to decide if you keep the apt or not).
I will pay RENT Service for the shipping and you'll pay Western Union for the Money Transfer fee.
So if you have $2,200 cash (the rent for 1 month-$1100 and the security deposit-$1100) and if you're ready for this transaction tell me your full name and your shipping address and I'll start the official procedure, and RENT will notify you about this matter. You'll also receive important guidelines plus instructions from them (please go through them exactly)
So:
1. As soon as I get your info I will ship the keys and the contract.
2. RENT will check the contract and the keys and they will notify you about this matter(they will send you all the instructions in order to complete the deal in a safe way for both)
3. You must send the money in the next 24 hours to the RENT agent.
4. After you'll confirm the payment they will start delivery at your address (the shipping will not take more then 2 days).
5. After you'll receive the keys, you'll have 2 days to decide if you keep the apt or not.
So if you're a serious person tell me your info and I'll start the process.
PS: When I start the process I must pay RENT fees and if you can't send the money in the next 24 hours,they will cancel the shipping and I will lose the money paid for the transaction.
Best Regards
The email led me to believe that this was indeed an international Scam just like the ones reported here.
They are now using the name and credibility of www.rent.com to conduct their rip-off. I personally contacted www.rent.com and notified them about the use of their name by unscrupulous people just like Donna Hicks. I hope they do something about it.
Meanwhile, let's keep helping each other by reporting these scams on sites like this one.
Thank you very much to you all for helping me to avoid being ripped off.
OMG! Donna Hicks has changed her e-mail again! Its: Donna Hicks (koreaske@hotmail.com)
I'm so glad we have sites like this! It's a shame we can't trust anyone now-a-days... I was almost scammed, good thing i have the good sense to google everyone before doing anything. Here was my e-mail from her, same as the previous one.
Hello my name is Donna Hicks and the address is E 11th St & Avenue B, New York, NY 10009,
Thanks for taking the time to look at my property. The apartment is available (4th floor ,2 bedrooms, 2 full bath, 2 parking spaces ,all utilites included ,cats and dogs 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 apt for max. 5 years .I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal and financial information about yourself. I`m the owner and it's exactly like in the Pics.The rent of the apt for 1 month is $1100 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 apt in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who have the keys and I have no one in United States that could show you the apt. 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 apt or not( I will receive the payment after you'll check the apt).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,
I really had my hopes up over this one... she emailed me pictures from the actual building being advertised. What a shame.
her new email is: safmrebntx0r@hotmail.com
apartment for 500 Driggs Ave in Brooklyn NY
here is donnas next one, her new email address is storoaks@hotmail.com:
Hello my name is Donna Hicks,
This beautifully condo (1 bedrooms,1 bathrooms, 1,000 square footage) was my home for the last five years,and is located at 350 east 62nd street, on the corner of 1st ave, New York, NY 10021. 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,
I have recently recieved an email from Donna Hicks as well:
Hello my name is Donna Hicks,
This beautifully condo (2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms, 1279 square footage) was my home for the last five years,and is located at 1790 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver, Canada. 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 Canada 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,
She has also changed her email again to hscaur00il@hotmail.com.
Here is another Donna Hicks email address:
meebinesalisertig@hotmail.com
She is posting an ad in Philly Craig's list for an apartment to rent. It sounded too good to be true so I was doing some research online aned sure enough... here was the info. Yhank you for creating this blog.
BA
She has surfaced in San Francisco
Hello my name is Donna Hicks,
This beautifully condo (1 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms, 1100 square footage) was my home for the last five years, and is located at Broadway St & Buchanan, building 2090 Broadway St, Unit #205 San Francisco, CA 94123. 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 $1250 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,
Donna Hicks cirmihmanom@hotmail.com
Thanks so much for this update! I found an ad for a condo in La Jolla with pretty much the exact same wording and received nearly a verbatim reply. I went back to the Craigslist site just hours later and they flagged the post for removal, so I was surely suspicious. The name that is associated with this email is Katie Stevens with email: grabelite@hotmail.com (hmm! interesting email choice)
Thanks again for doing the due diligence for us all!
WOW! Donna Hicks has changed her email again! I replied to her ad for an apartment and she sent me the same email as the others. I found this website when I googled her, Thank you! When a deal seems too good to be true..then it usually is!
Hello my name is Donna Hicks,
This beautifully condo (1 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms, 1100 square footage) was my home for the last five years, and is located at Broadway St & Buchanan, building 2090 Broadway St, Unit #205 San Francisco, CA 94123. 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 $1250 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,
Hello ,
Thank you again for your reply .If you are ready to proceed with this transaction I must tell you how this service works and what we need to do. You have to deposit to the RENT service the first month of rent-$1250 and a security deposit of $1250, so they can proceed with the shipping of the keys and the contract. Like I said, I will pay for two days delivery so you'll receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain you step by step how this service work.
1 - To start this transaction i need to know your full shipping information (full name and shipping address)
2 - I will go to the RENT Office and leave the Keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - The RENT service will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal documents that come along with the Keys.
4 - After they will check the documents,RENT will send you a delivery notification to let you know that they have the Keys and the documents in their custody.
5 - At this point you'll have to go to a Western Union Office and make a money deposit on the RENT agent name for the amount we agreed (the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent plus the security deposit).
6 - After you'll make the deposit you'll have to send the info about the money deposit to RENT.
7 - RENT will verify the deposit information and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you.
8 - After you will receive the keys and the contract, you must check the condo, decide if you keep the condo or not. If all is in order you'll sign the contract and RENT will release the money to me. If you don`t like the condo they will return your money, and they will ship back to me the keys (you'll have 10 days to decide if you keep the condo or not). I will pay RENT fees and you'll pay Western fees-for the Money Transfer.
So if you have $2,500 cash (the rent for 1 month-$1250 and the security deposit-$1500) and if you're ready for this transaction tell me your full name and your shipping address and I'll start the official procedure, and RENT will notify you about this matter. You'll also receive important guidelines plus instructions from them (please go through them exactly)
So:
1. As soon as I get your info I will ship the keys and the contract.
2. RENT will check the contract and the keys and they will notify you about this matter(they will send you all the instructions in order to complete the deal in a safe way for both)
3. You must send the money in the next 24 hours to the RENT agent.
4. After they will receive the payment,they will start delivery at your address (the shipping will not take more then 2 days).
5. After you'll receive the keys, you'll have 10 days to decide if you keep the condo or not.
So if you're a serious person tell me your info and I'll start the process.
PS: When I start the process I must pay RENT fees and if you can't send the money in the next 24 hours,they will cancel the shipping and I will loose the money paid for the transaction.
Best Regards
Kelly Smart is not so smart...but they are on the email move again...I got four emails from them this week Feb 19th 2009 from the following names...
Robert Leo smartkelly07@gmail.com
kelly smart kellysmart36@klimi.zzn.com, All of the emails were replies to Austin TX CL adds and they were all scams!! How do we get rid of this creep?
Just picked up on the same scam in Washington D.C. from Donna Karan @ xbxofootlilfre@hotmail.com
Ok I have gotten that same messgae from a Sandra Carter and Donna Karan about 2 different apartments in DC. I also saw the same postings in Seattle and Philadelphia because I am occasionally googling the information to see what else comes up in craigslist so that it can be flagged. I figured it out when I went to rent.com to look at the property and there was nothing there.
So moral of the story... she now also uses the names Donna Karan and Sandra Carter.
BE CAREFULL! I actually went and checked out the place and sure enough it was there and it all looked good. The pictures matched perfectly as if she really had lived there. Luckily i was smart enough to try and do a background check and then when that didnt work- i just googled her and sure enough :(
USING: franhed@hotmail.com
Hi,
Thanks for taking the time to look at my property. My name is Frances Hedges, I'm 48 years old, I'm a construction engineer and I'm the owner of this condo(2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1246 square footage). I lived in it for over 5 years, loved every day of it. It's located at 531 Avenue A, steps to Redondo Beach, walk distance to beach, close to stores, main highway, residential street. 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, it comes 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 and decided to rent it because the rent 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 min. 1 month max. 6 years(or more). 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 for the whole condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, internet, cable, parking , airconditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and the security deposit is 1200$(you'll get the deposit back at your departure- or you can use it to pay your last month of rent) 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.
If you want to rent the condo, please e-mail me back and I will explain you how the payment and shipping will take place!
Regards,
Frances
Yes, beware of anyone who says that they have moved to the UK and need you to wire money and sign a lease first without seeing the apartment. They claim this is the only way to get the keys. I picked up on the same scam for postings in Washington DC from "Donna Karan xbxofootlilfre@hotmail.com" and "Martha Cummings martha.cummings8@gmail.com". In their email replies, neither of them signed their names and each had moved to the UK for an unexpected business deal. Also, the rent was too good to be true, clearly!
newest one:
The new name is Donna Karen:
bynama00adane@hotmail.com
hello,
Thanks for taking the time to look at my property. My name is Donna Karan, I'm 43 years old, I'm a construction engineer and I'm the owner of this condo (2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1200 square footage). It's located in 101-24 Queens Blvd, Queens, NY 11375. The unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, the condo come with two parking spots, 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 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 min. 1 month and max. 6 years(or more). 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 for whole the condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, internet, cable, parking , airconditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and the security deposit is 1200$(you'll get the deposit back at your departure-or you can use it to pay your last month of rent) 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.
If you want to rent the condo, please e-mail me back and I will explain you how the payment and shipping will take place!
She's at it again! This time as "Donna Karan":
Hello,
Thanks for taking the time to look at my property.My name is Donna Karan,I'm 43 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 2 years,loved every day of it.The prime location can't be beat, and the garaged parking is an amenity sure to be appreciated by anyone who has lived in a big city. Harcourt Street is located just off the busy streets of Newbury and Boylston. You have the convenience of being just two blocks away, without the inconvenience of double parked cars and countless pedestrians. Harcourt is a small, quaint neighborhood street nestled behind the Copley Square Marriott and the Colonade hotel. In less than a block you are at the entrance of the Prudential Center and Copley Square Mall. One more block and you are at Newbury and Boylston Streets. With countless retail from big names to small boutiques, the Back Bay has it all. The cities finest restaurants are within walking distance, Fenway Park is a mile away, and the entrance to the Mass Pike and I-93 are within blocks of this condo.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.
The kitchen eating area is a large piece of granite that serves as counter space in the kitchen, and as the table in the Living Room side.The Master Bedroom is large with high ceilings, has two windows, a walk-in closet and it has it's own bathroom. The room has a large, very comfortable Cali-King bed. There are several dressers with an ample amount of drawers. The room also has a desk with several drawers and a file cabinet. The walls are decorated with nice artwork and floating shelves. The bathroom has a large, tiled shower stall behind a glass door. The vanity is covered with a beautiful piece of granite and between the vanity, shelves and medicine cabinet, there is plenty of space for toiletries. Just outside the door two the bedroom is the Guest Bathroom. The guest bath features a large jacuzzi tub and shower. The vanity is large and is covered with granite. There is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier.The entire unit is 1246 square feet. It has high ceilings, hardwood floors and by being a corner unit, it has 10 large windows. The space below is a commercial unit that has several offices for financial planners and a internet software company. Etc. Etc...I've moved to United Kingdom with my job (i am a construction engineer) and decided to rent it because the rent 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 min. 1 month and max. 6 years(or more).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 for the whole condo for 1 month is $1400 including all utilities(water,electricity, internet, cable, parking , airconditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and the security deposit is 1400$(you'll get the deposit back at your departure-or you can use it to pay your last month of rent) 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.
If you want to rent the condo, please e-mail me back and I will explain you how the payment and shipping will take place!
Donna Karan wants to rent me a luxury apartment in Washington, DC!
(It's amazing. Not only did I think I was getting a great August 2009 deal on a 2/bdrm 2/bath condo via Washington, DC Craigslist, I also learned that Donna Karan was a construction engineer on top of being a famous designer of cashmere pashminas! But before anyone writes me off for being naive, I knew something wasn't right was all along. The REAL scam would have been Donna Karan trying to claim she was actually 43 years old, and not her actual age of 60. But I digress.)
Thank you all for posting your stories to this site. Given my familiarity to several of the Nigerian fraud scams, I knew all along something didn't seem right with the email response that I received. Nevertheless, I came across this blog by simply googling the email address used by Donna. I'm really glad to see how many others were willing to share their stories so that others can learn from this. Here is my story:
It seems that Ms. Karan's hotmail address used the same email username "xbxofootlilfre" in August 2009 for a Dupont Circle condo in DC as well as earlier this year. Interestingly, Gmail did note the actual time difference of the hotmail address as being sent from the UK. (Note: Lagos, Nigeria is actually one hour ahead of GMT.)
from: Donna Karan xbxofootlilfre @ hotmail.com
sender-time Sent at 07:07 (UTC). Current time there: 11:54 AM. ✆
date: Sun, Aug 9, 2009 at 07:07
subject $1300 / 2br - Luxury Unfurnished Condo. All utilites included
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Hello,
Thanks for taking the time to look at my property.My name is Donna Karan,I'm 43 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 2 years, loved every day of it.It's located in 17th St NW & T St NW, Washington, DC 20009. The unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, the condo come with two parking spots, 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 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 min. 1 month and max. 6 years(or more).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 for whole the condo for 1 month is $1300 including all utilities(water,electricity, internet, cable, parking , airconditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and the security deposit is $1300 (you'll get the deposit back at your departure-or you can use it to pay your last month of rent) 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.
If you want to rent the condo, please e-mail me back and I will explain you how the payment and shipping will take place!
Regards,
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Same scam for an apartment in North Vancouver, Canada on Craigslist. Name used is Donna Karan and email is kornsaen@hotmail.com. The same email pattern with about 20 photos and basically the same text. The second email only talks about ebay money transfer.
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