Help please re renting, western union transfer?

Yorkie1

Good luck in your hunt

Voyager2002

MrRee wrote: »

No-one can be so stupid as to think this is, in any tiny way at all, genuine ...........

Someone's trolling!

Not a fair comment. Many people have fallen for exactly this scam. I mean, transferring money to your friend ought to be safe, and only people familiar with Western Union would know that the "verification" details requested would enable the 'landlord' to collect all the money.

GDB2222

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Not a fair comment. Many people have fallen for exactly this scam. I mean, transferring money to your friend ought to be safe, and only people familiar with Western Union would know that the "verification" details requested would enable the 'landlord' to collect all the money.

Simply, you send the western union details to the scammer, and he runs round to western union quickly and collects the money before your friend or relative has a chance to.

You can have some fun though by sending him some fake numbers.

paddyrg

NO! NO! NO!

If an advert ever offers you Western Union, MoneyGram or Ukash, or if any financial dealing even mentions it, or an email, or ebay, or anything it is a scam.

These days, bank transfers take minutes, international ones a few days, credit cards are ubiquitous - and whilst they don't guarantee safety, they are traceable. Western Union transfers are not. Given the information on the form, anybody can pick them up, and this is what the scammers rely upon.

Sugared-frog

Well I'm sufficiently naive that I could have fallen for it... though I knew Weston Union was dodgy ... I was thinking that doing it to a relative might have been a safe way around the dodgy bit. Though the actual words would have made me back off from that one.... since he lives and works in Manchester but is coming to the UK.

So I've learnt something (that's why I read various threads on here even the ones that I don't think are relevant to me). Thank you.

chris_m

Moneybagsss wrote: »

Pass him on to http://forum.419eater.com - they might be able to have some fun with him

Hehe, that reply the OP posted looked like fluent Nigerian to me, too ;)

paddyrg

Western Union used to have more of a purpose in the world, but now its only real purpose is for migrant labour to send cash back to their villages, and advance fee fraud (and related) scams. They are not 'dodgy', per se, but don't seem in a rush to turn away the business generated by scammers, let's say.

tomout

Thank you all, definitely pleased that I learnt this way rather than the other way! I was going to send an email back pointing out all the stupid mistakes eg 'living in manchester' 'travel to uk' and bad grammar because it's got me kind of angry to be honest that someone would try and take advantage of people like that and seeminimgly get away with that.. plus i was excited about it.. but i guess its best not to reply at all?

hazyjo

I wouldn't reply - but I would report it!

Jx

MrRee_2

OK, I'll play along ......

NO do NOT reply at all .......

Next time you receive an offer which isn't even well drafted - don't even think about it.

If it looks great and too good to be true - it IS!

Ask yourself why anyone you don't know would want to do you a favour? They wouldn't - unless there was something in it for them.

If you are genuine - please, please, get your parents to look over anything like this FIRST!