Fraud
Fraud alert
Looking back I should have seen the sign’s. Here is a warning for people who are looking for a roommate. I am still looking for one.
In early June I made an account on Rent.com saying I was looking for a roommate. A few days later I received this reply…
How do you do? Am Emily Huxley. I saw your advert about the place you have to rent out, kindly get back to me if you still have the place available. Be kind to reach me at my private email (walkwithemily02@yahoo.com) as am not a upgraded member here. Am looking forward to moving in soon. Am a mature, fun-loving, responsible, honest and a neat person. i will wait to read from you sooner. Thanks. Regards EMILY email: walkwithemily02@yahoo.com
I decided to write back and replied with this.
Hey Emily,
My name is Ryan Warzecha and you were looking for a roommate in
I am still looking for someone to move into my apartment. Please let me know if you are still interested.
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner.
Hope to hear from you
Ryan
She wrote back with this..
Thanks for your response email. Hope your week has been smooth so far. I will no longer be coming to the states with my child because her granny has decided to take care of her here in the
I will say about me, I'm a deaf, nice, honest, clean, quiet woman with a promising bright child i adore so much ,she is my life . I studied nursing and would be working in the states as soon as i get the place, i will send some applications because i have my certified documents of Nursing. My leaving without her will be quite difficult for me and her but we are getting over it .
I am planning to move in 1st week of July, hope that is okay with you? And i will need a place to call home. I will be renting the room on a long term lease. About 6 to 8months.
Do you have any picture to share with me? What is the present color of the room? What is the total move in asking amount and the method of payment? And will you be living in the building as well?
What facilities do you have provided at your place? how close are you to shopping, restaurants, grocery stores etc?
These are the few things i can think up to ask for now.looking forward to your reply, I will attach a picture of me so you can see what I look like. Thanks
Regards
EMILY.
I wrote back with the details, even gave her the link of video of my apartment.
In a day she wrote back with this.
The info you gave me is sweet to me as am hoping to move in June. I think i will like the place hopefully we come to good terms. I have been little busy these days as am meeting several housecarers for my daughter.
I will like to make a two month upfront deposit on the room so that it will be secure. Am deaf person and i do not see how i can give you a phone call, please bear with me. Yes I know where
I forgot to tell you that I have a bachelor in nursing degree, at the
I just finished writing my master's in
Let me know in which name and where I can mail out a cashier's check to as payment you prefer and if its okay i deposit for two months. I will like to finalize things with you so am assured that I have secured my new place. Thanks and hope to hear from you.
Regards
EMILY
I sent her an email with my name and address… and then waited to hear from her.
This is when I started feeling weird… The videos on You Tube didn’t have any views. She didn’t even check out to see where she would be living. I didn’t give that many details in the email. Something was up. I started emailing her questions. When are you flying in? Can I speak to a relative? She didn’t respond. At this moment I decided to go back to the original email and read it over again. On the bottom of the email rent.com had a watermark that said.
Stay safe online.
Please beware of fraudulent activity such as Roommates offering a high-value cashier's check as rent payment.
How can someone be a fraud as a renter? I looked into this more. I also searched her name in Google and found out she was looking for an apartment in
I should have said this earlier. Since this sounds like a fraud case, I will not cash the cashers check until you move in. If you end up backing out, the check will never be cashed and it will be burned.
I do hope that this is not a fraud case, but I have to be wary.
Ryan
After days of not hearing from her… she writes…
Now this email sounds shocking to me. Am not a fake and i am not a criminal. Do receive the check and take it to your bank for proper verificate before you proceed. Am so surprise you quick to think evil about me. Am not like that. Good luck.
Regards,
EMILY
I wrote back saying I was sorry to be quick to judge and I would wait for the check. Nothing... it’s been a few weeks and nothing not an email.
I’m glad I caught onto the scam before I was taken to the cleaners. Looking back I should have seen the signs.
The only thing that is still a bummer is I am still out of a roommate.
Peace
5 Comments:
Wow, I'm so sorry to hear this Ryan. :( I do hope you find a reliable, honest room-mate, and soon. It's really sad when you realize how close you came to getting ripped off. Yes, ask for references, and follow through to the bitter end on checking up on them. Your living space and your health depend on it, honestly.
I have been wondering what the explanation of the "I think I have been scammed" was...
I couldn't understand how you cashing a cheque (English spelling :P) could then gain her anything though....but then I read your more recent post. :)
Well done for catching on before anything happened. You are smarter than you gave yourself credit for.
:)
Shorah.
Ryan, I too had a room listed on rent.com and was contacted by Emily. The emails I received from her were word for word what she sent you with an occasional personalized sentence stuck in. Where our paths differ is she actually sent me a cashier's check (this was after I had told her not to send money, but she insisted so I gave my address). I had been suspicious, but I wanted to see how the scam worked so I continued to play along while I researched the roommate scams online. She wanted me to wire money to her "travel agent" to pay for her plane ticket. I made up some BS about bank delays to buy some time and I called the issuer of the cashier's check. They verified it was an invalid check. I sent copies of everything to the FBI, but I doubt they'll do anything about it. Oh, and I just sent emails to the customer service on all three roommate sites I found "Emily Huxley" on. High five from me to you for not getting scammed.
Jessica
I also received the same Emily emails, but she changed her name to Anna Hicks. Her email was workwithanna@yahoo.com
When I asked for 2 references she said that she couldn't reach her doctor because he was not in London.
I was suspicious when she wanted to leave her daughter behind. That did not make much sense.
I'm glad I thought to do a search on Emily. Her grammar is what made me nervous. Then her info on roommates.com disappeared. below is her second email she sent me.
"Hello Marty
How are you today? I don't think i will be moving in with every of my stuff as am coming in from jacksonville Fl after completing a two months training. Am a private Paediatrician nurse and i hope to move in around 3rd week of January if that is fine with you. Can i take the lease for about 8months? My first time coming there. Do you have a picture i can view? Please tell me more about the place surroundings. What facilities are in there and is there a car garage? I'm 25 years and am responsible clean lady that is hard hearing person too with always a fair mindset. I'm socialable and i guess i like a quiet environment not too quiet but pleasant to live in. Hopefully this room-mail service will get me hooked up quick with what i want. Let me be more clear about the amount you asking for each month. I pay my bills promptly with no delay. I will send picture of me, am not beautiful but nice looking. I wait to read your email. I wish you a wonderful New Year all through. God bless you. I be happy to to have the room. Thanks Emily Huxley."
Thanks
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