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The Nairobi Traffic Accident Scam
| | Wednesday, May 04, 2005 @ 04:57 PM EDT
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Contributed by: Mark Reynolds
Mark Reynolds Properties
Read more archived articles about Managing
This friend of mine just called me up to confess that he just got taken in a scam and to warn me to watch out for the same deal. So I thought I would pass this along so all the TCI landlords out there can beware.
Day One, my buddy Dan had an ad in the paper for an apartment for rent. He gets a phone call from a guy with a British accent with lots of questions about the place. Finally the prospect says it sounds like the perfect place for him and he’ll take the apartment. Just one problem, the prospect is in London and is moving to Chicago in 30 days. He’s very anxious that he have an apartment when he gets here. Can he send a cashier’s check for 6 months rent in advance and rent the place sight unseen?
Sure, says Dan figuring to never see the money but sure enough next day a Fed Ex envelope shows up with a cashiers check for $4,800 which Dan promptly deposits in the bank. (Day two)
Day 4: Mr. Prospective tenant calls up in a panic. Seems his sister has been critically injured in a traffic accident in Nairobi and he desperately needs to get there. He won’t be coming to Chicago after all and won’t need the apartment. He understands that Dan has losses because he hasn’t rented the apartment to other prospective tenants but he really needs at least part of the money back right away so he can get to Nairobi to be with his sister in the hospital. After some negotiation Dan agrees to hold the security Deposit and first months rent and refund the rest of the money. Oh, Mr. Prospect says, that is a great relief. Could Dan please wire-transfer the money so that Mr. P. can catch the next plane to Nairobi to be at his possibly dying sister’s bedside? Dan obligingly wire-transfers the money to Mr. P’s London bank.
Day 8: Dan gets a call from his banker about this bogus cashier’s check that has bounced higher than Big Ben, don’t you know? Overseas checks take longer to clear and all that. So sorry, we are deducting the $4,800 from your account.
Moral of the story? Even a cashier’s check can bounce if it’s a forgery. Wait for checks to clear before you refund cash.
Word Cloud:
says about money next place check needs apartment. $4,800 rent />
day scam after london sister months apartment this refund prospective won’t bank. call prospect cashier’s with just chicago gets accident take clear traffic nairobi checks
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