Possible scam email

Post scam emails to warn other rental owners, or if you are not sure if an enquiry is genuine, put it up here and see what others think.
Perran
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 31, 2015 12:17 pm
Location: Cornwall

Possible scam email

Post by Perran »

I received this today it looks very suspicious to me. I have deleted it.

Good day

I will be coming for holiday in your country with my wife from United state of America and i will like to know if your property will be available for three weeks in the bellow date,i will want you to get back to me to confirm the availability of the dates bellow:

Arrival Date: 30 September 2017
Departure Date: 21 October 2017

I hope to read back from you with the availability of the dates and the total price for two adult and we are also flexible with date.

Greetings
Family Robert Parker

Any views on this would be appreciated?
A Perran
zebedee
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: yorkshire dales

Post by zebedee »

I've had this one, and had emails with the same wording different name.
It's a scam.
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Contact:

Post by e-richard »

Scam.
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
Jonathan
Posts: 122
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:17 am
Location: Warwickshire
Contact:

Re: Possible scam email

Post by Jonathan »

Perran wrote:I received this today it looks very suspicious to me. I have deleted it.

Good day

I will be coming for holiday in your country with my wife from United state of America and i will like to know if your property will be available for three weeks in the bellow date,i will want you to get back to me to confirm the availability of the dates bellow:

Arrival Date: 30 September 2017
Departure Date: 21 October 2017

I hope to read back from you with the availability of the dates and the total price for two adult and we are also flexible with date.

Greetings
Family Robert Parker

Any views on this would be appreciated?
Three clear signs for many scammers:

1. potential length of visit

2. Use of blind copy to send you the e-mail. I.e. it has not been sent to your individual e-mail address but a whole list.

3. If you respond they want to overpay by cheque - this is a very clear warning sign. Don't go there.

Jonathan
Perran
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 31, 2015 12:17 pm
Location: Cornwall

Post by Perran »

Thanks for your comments I hadn't even spotted the blind copy until you pointed that out.

What made me think it was a scam was the spelling of bellow wrong twice and other silly mistakes. The whole email just didn't ring true.
A Perran
User avatar
Casscat
Posts: 2692
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 10:43 pm

Post by Casscat »

Sorry, but for me that would have headed straight into delete without any question. There are so many scammy flags it's hard to know where to start. I actually love trash attempts like that because they are so fabulously inept :D Isn't it great how Robert Parker and his family don't know that they live in the United States and not the United state? Also the Robert Parker family (or 'Family Robert Parker') appear to comprise only two people. Quite a small family. Always 'flexible' though, which is obviously a bonus.

Good day to you too Family Robert Parker! :P
Joanna
Posts: 1091
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:12 pm
Location: Chester, North West England & Sidmouth, East Devon
Contact:

Post by Joanna »

This has turned up in my inbox, this time from Turner Williams, no longer mentions that he's coming from the States, but apart from that it's almost identical, including spelling mistakes. Came from turnerw116@gmail.com
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
AndrewH
Posts: 1499
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:17 pm
Location: Kefalonia, Greece
Contact:

Post by AndrewH »

Joanna wrote:This has turned up in my inbox, this time from Turner Williams ...
Perhaps the scammer has caught at least one owner with this scammy non-runner and is trying it again. More likely, he has sold the script to one of his scammy friends telling the friend that it works a treat.
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