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7 points to online protection

29 September 2009 5,601 views 10 Comments

Please bear these points in mind to avoid online scams:

It looks to good to be true – It probably is then, be wary of very cheap rents in an area or brochure style photos.
Money transfer- There is no trace on money transfers (such as Western Union) and that’s why scammers use it. If anyone requests you use money transfer be concerned, ask if they will accept a different payment method. Don’t give anyone a receipt for a money transfer transaction even if the transfer was to someone you know, the scammer is trying to access the funds.
Visit the room – The best way to see if a room is real is to visit it and meet the person renting it. Be wary of anyone who will not allow you to visit the room.
Overseas – Most scams originate overseas if someone tells you they are overseas on holiday or on business be concerned, particularly if they say you can’t see the room.
Money upfront – Deposits are normal in renting, paying money upfront to secure a room is not. See the room and meet the person before you pay anything upfront.
Cheques – If you recieve an overpayment by cheque, the scammer may request a refund for the overpayment by money transfer – it’s a scam.
Too pushy – If someone for example says you must pay by money transfer and nothing else be cautious. Scammers need to make you do certain things if you’re unsure or it doesn’t feel right ask questions.

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10 Comments »

silvia said:

hello all,

I’ve received a scam for a girl call: Mcpharlane Peta Nicole having a house in Pitt St. in Sydney. I trust her becouse she send me a contract with her Passport Number and the copy of the passport and driver license. I didn’t see the room becouse I move there for the new year. I’ve send money in London where she is supposed to leave, through Western Union paying the upfron. when she ask me more money I realized that was a terrible scam.
I hope that I was the first one being deceived by these person. I hope you can cancel her advertisement before that someone else will receive the same treatment.
what do you suggest to do now?
thank you for any help that you can give me.

best regards
Silvia Maccarini

# 2 November 2009 at 4:11 pm

Ken Popat said:

Hi All,

I am based in London, UK and recently fell for a scam in student housing in Sydney. My daughter is joining a university in sydney for a masters programme, and she doesn’t know anyone there.

Along with a friend she met on Facebook, who is also going to Sydney for further studies, they both found a room owned by an American Lady by the name of Kathleen McHugh. She asked for deposit and 2 months rent in advance from both the girls and the money was to be transferred via Moneygram/W.Union to her Lawyer in USA. Having transferred the funds, it was, subsequently, realised that she did not send the promised documents from Lawyer and the signed Tenancy Agreement, which both the girls has signed at the time of sending money.

So, I would like to caution all prospective students that do not fall for this trap. There is a lot of scam going on, not only in Australia, but also in the UK about student housing.

BEWARE! and do not let these cyber thugs win.

Ken

# 21 January 2010 at 10:02 pm

How to identify a scammer? | EasyRoommate Blog - Flatshare Tips and Trends for the UK said:

[...] Also, you can read in our Safety Online topic 7 points to online protection [...]

# 11 February 2010 at 2:37 pm

Sevi said:

Hello,

That’s unbelievable..
I am looking for a room in Sydney. I have subscribed to the website two days ago. and she sent an e-mail in minutes. attached pictures and the renting price was very good. so, I was about to make a contract with this fake person, he/she has sent the same documents (passport, driver licence, and certificate of ownership) to me few minutes ago.
This trick was a little bit obvious too. Because my very specific kind of questions have not been answered, such as the level of that unit or the unit number just to see it from outside. and between 2 previous e-mails I found a few inconsistent sentences. but e-mails were still very convincing, before searching that name on the web.

Thank you very much for declaring this name on this blog and saving my time and money.

Regards,

Sevi

# 22 February 2010 at 12:23 pm

Jonathan (author) said:

All these scammers are spammed from our website!

# 19 March 2010 at 7:07 pm

mari said:

hi silvia,

I’ve also received a scam for a girl call Mcpharlane Peta Nicole having a house in hobart TAS.

I doubt about her because she didn’t answer my 2 questions and
sent me autmaticall message to me.

Before i send money I googled her name. and i found her name in here.
thank you!!

# 24 December 2010 at 2:00 am

Alex Hodgson said:

I have a folder of scam offers to rent a room in Perth, Australia from: Sibel Turan, Lauren Wood, Lisa Fairfield, Prestige Homes, Calandra Catrina, Monica Kaur, R.Alexandrea, Nicole McPharlane, Maria Lopez and Sarah Hornbill!!! Most of them I suspect come from shareaccomodation.com where I placed an advert but well might be from easyroom website where I also have an ad. Some of this scammers sent me repetitive emails with photos of luxury apartments at unbelievably low rental and although I responded to them that it was too good to be true they sent me yet more emails! Some requested passport details etc, others said they were overseas and keys were held in FedEx office, some of them had rather poor English. When asked when I could view the apartment they did not respond… The most proactive of the lot above were Nicole McPharlane, Lisa Fairfield and Prestige Homes. So, beware!

# 28 January 2011 at 1:03 am

JO said:

Hi, i have a room to rent and received correspondence from a Barney Gabriella who claims she is a shipping captain in Finland who is going to be working in NZ for 6 months. She wants to pay via paypal but when I said we would prefer her to organise payment when she arrives, she said her company needed to confirm her accommodation. She hasn’t answered our questions or sent references etc that we asked for. Does anyone have advice about paypal. I thought this was safe but have never used it before and we feel a bit suspect about it.

# 4 March 2011 at 8:47 am

Maana said:

Hi…
This girl, Nicole Mcpharlane is trying to rent an apartment in Perth… Samething… she ask for deposit and you can’t see the apartment before. She said she is London now…
I received a scam with a contract with her Passport Number and the copy of the passport and driver license.

Beware!!!

# 13 March 2011 at 2:21 pm