Passport scam - do not send anyone a copy of your passport

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.
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pambon
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Post by pambon »

My UK passport expires at the end of 2013; since I do not envisage making any journeys out of the EU, if I travel I shall use my Italian ID card.....(yes, they do have their uses)
Paul Carmel
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Post by Paul Carmel »

I tried to use my French ID card and was told point blank no, passport only.
Cheers
PC
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pambon
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Post by pambon »

That's interesting PC. Many Italians travel around Europe on their ID cards only with no problem. Which end 'refuses' the ID card (arrival or departure) and on what grounds?

I'm wondering if it's to do with the nationality of the card holder. ie. a British national holding an ID card issued by a European country. As a dual national perhaps I should give it a try before expiry date......my ID card states it's valid for foreign travel.....
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

Different airlines have different policies regarding documents needed to travel - well worth checking beforehand.

MG
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pambon
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Post by pambon »

Yes MG, also airport passport controls differ in their regulations for dual nationals. I always travel on my UK passport - no problem. My son, Italian national born and bred here is also a dual national and travels on his UK passport (he has never applied for an Italian one!) , but border authorities at both Rome & Milan are within their rights to refuse to let him travel on his UK passport as it's considered a 'secondary' nationality.

All very complicated.
Holiday Almeria
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Post by Holiday Almeria »

Big Sis.. wrote:
Its an education in itself when you have to get one.
Your solicitor takes you[in our case to Alicante] where you queue all day with all your documentation.
When you do get to the front of the queue it only takes a matter of minutes.
We met people who had queued all day, only for something not to be right, and they had to turn up the next day and queue all day again.
Our solicitor got ours in Cartagena for us while we languished in the UK :D Had to get a notarised application though and the other form (can't remember the name) from the FCO to validate the notary :roll:.

Since i've been renting, my contract asks all Spanish guests for their NIE number, in fact some of them give it without being asked. My Spanish contact told me that the Spanish like to give and receive them and that they view anyone that won't divulge the information as suspicious.

Mark
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

The scammer (above) who got my details is attempting to make fake bookings on spain-holiday dot com using my name and details in the format R***L*** and a fake Hotmail address. He's continuing to try and exchange passport details with his targets.

The owner he booked with got suspicious with a couple of crucial details the scammer got wrong in the booking correspondence, and found our contact details via the UK electoral list.

The scammer seems to be concentrating on Spain as owners are likely to have a local bank account and Spanish banks appear to be a soft target.

MG
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

I would like to eliminate this scammer.

As he's concentrating on Spain, would any of you Spanish owners mind PMing me your listing site's contact emails? Especially if you have a named contact and it's a Spanish specialist site.

I can then send a round-robin email to try and block his activities.

Several sites have been very helpful so far.

MG
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

You've probably already got ours Richard. Holiday Lettings, Espana Breaks, Choose Spain and Owners Direct and Travel Library, apart from a few free sites that I've given up on. If you haven't got them let me know and I'll pm them to you.

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
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Mountain Goat
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Post by Mountain Goat »

Thanks, TC, will have a go at that lot.

MG
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Big Sis..
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Post by Big Sis.. »

Phil at Rent in Spain....... MG.

Hope you get it sorted!!
FLY
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Post by FLY »

Paul Carmel wrote:I tried to use my French ID card and was told point blank no, passport only.
Good to carry about with you in France.
pujols
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identity theft

Post by pujols »

very dark and depressing...APPART FROM THE FINANCIAL side of things...HAD my credit card details cloned....Card with me at all times and card rarely used. Full details given to a London hotel as deposit.....
B ank not interested<....police not interested....
Such a long story but I know how it all came about......NASTY
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

Very sorry to hear that Pujol. It seems to be getting more and more common. I haven't had my bank details cloned, but I did have some illegitimate transactions on my credit card a little while ago.

But why aren't the bank interested? My credit card company immediately refunded the amount I'd lost - I don't know what they did about the culprit.

Do you feel like sharing a few more details?

(Love your place by the way. I'm packing my bags NOW!)

TC
Debut novelist at http://tinyurl.com/or89jle

http://wivenhoewriters.blogspot.co.uk/
Contributor to anthology 'In a Word: Murder'
Riponnewbie
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Use of passport.

Post by Riponnewbie »

if you book a property via Airbnb they ask for a form of ID, a passport being one of them, to verify you are who you say you are. From a security point of view, if Airbnb have a cyber attack they have an enormous amount of information on file that would make TalkTalk's data breach seem an insignificance.
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