Rental Scams - Spanish Homeowner Advice

Example Scam Enquiries

Some scamming emails are easier to spot than others.

Holiday home owners need to be aware and alert when transacting with potential renters but please do not spend too much time worrying, as the vast majority of enquiries you will receive through Rentaccomspain.com are genuine enquiries from holidaymakers about your holiday home in Spain.

Listed here are words which commonly appear in scam emails along with a few examples of typical emails received as scam enquiries:

Common Words and Phrases

This list is not exhaustive, but it should give you an idea of the type of words and phrases often used by scammers in their email contact with holiday home owners. Stay alert for these and others like them.

Example which is poorly written with spelling and grammatical errors.

Good Day , Am janetFrom Ireland i based on locating of Home/Apartment/condos/and as well Land,well we do have client that are interested in buyingof propertyonbe of our client is interested in buying your (Property ),Ihave client located in all part of all the Word.I will like to know on how you operate i mean the way you do the sells of the (Property ),i will wish to have the costof the (Property ),so that i will be able to inform theclient that is muchinterested in it,i will need to have you r notice over this can the clientuses cars of any form of items in that (Property ),i hope that th (Property ), as well containFurnitures in there,will the occupant have acess to internet in the area that the property islocated?well all the client that i always have here are in need and as well in need to use internet in theproperty/,just let me have the full info about the property so that i can informthe ccli! ! ! ent that is highly interested Best Regard

Examples from someone wanting to send funds from somewhere / someone else.

1. Hello to you over there . How are you and your family? i am from canada. i got the info that you have a space when i was suffing the internet in need of vacation space in your area in united state. My head office over there has instructed me to look for an accomdation for a period of one month stay in united state for a program iwill discuss the detail of this program when i come into state. you can even benefit from this program. my company will be responsibel for all the expences including the payment for your cabin.flight fee and other things WE are 3 in number that are coming into state. i want you to extimate the total cost for this 1 month period in your house and send it to me.For all the expences , a money order of 5000 us dollars has been agreed to be paid out from my company .i hope money order is okay by you.So Provide me with your ful name full contact address (not p.o.box)and your phone number sothat the money order will be sent to you directly from my company so that you can take it to your bank for cashing and as soon as you remit the money into your account,the balance on it sholud be send to me in canada through western union money transfer which will serve as flight ticket and other related expences. We are scheduled to bein united state by 1st week of february.
   i am visiting united state for my 3rd time hope to me you and your family soon. regards to family.
   await your quick responds

2. hello, there was mix up by my boss.i told you he wanted to sponsor our honeymoon, he had issued a check in your name and left it with his secretary and he has travelled to canada for a bussiness trip.but the problem is that he issued just a single check inclusive of the money gift that had promised to give us for our shopping with your lodgement fee. what i'm now asking of you now is that..could you accept this and after cashing the check,you deduct your lodgement,there is a woman that handled our garments and decorations here in the UK,she is in united states for now but likely to be in nigeria by next week because she promised to get some african fabrics from there too,she came to buy some goods and we had promised to send her money.could you please help me send the other money for shopping to her?not everything,but some of it while you help me hold on to some till we come in. deduct the transfer fee from the money and i dont mind paying any inconvienience fee for this service okay.. i only need you to confirm if this is okay by you so that i could mail his secretary to send the check as soon as possible. if this is not done,i will have to postpone my honeymoon or do it here in England (which i wont like to). hope to hear from you as soon as possible.

3. Comments: hello, can i make a reservation between 18-25 january 2005 for my honey moon?my boss said i should get a nice lodge for myself and my wife and he will foot the bill. can i have your price for the eight days?so that he will handle the payment as soon as possible

Example of someone trying to sound official within their country.

In respect of my official assignment with my Government in my Lease/Rent apartment. Can you please tell me the modalities as regards this procees. Thanks. Await your response.

Example of a request for an unusually long period of time and wanting to pay the full amount up front.

My Occupant that needed the Aprtment that you have for rents said that she will be very glad to have your understanding regarding the months rents she said that she will be willing and hoped to have the renst for 6 months rents only she said that she will be very glad to have your understanding that she have been able to informed you through me that she will be making uses of the bike during the Rent, she said that i shuold ask you that if you are willing to have the full amount for the 6 months rents that she will be as well glad to have your understanding over this she said that she will be very glad to pay you all the 6 months renst at once so that there will be no more payment for the rents while she stays in the unit.

Examples of someone wanting to send you large sums of money.

1. Thanks for the email in response to my inquiry.I'm glad to read from you.I want you to realise that the payment for this apartment will issued out to you by my agent who is in charge of my trip,so i want you to calculate the total amount for the duration of 2 and half weeks,Alright then i have prospond it till April 3 to 18,and also i want you to understand that my feeding fees and commision will be addded to the money that will be sent to you so as sooon as the check arrives you will have to deduct your funds and assist me in transfering remaining balance to my personal assistant that takes care of all my financials,If you are satisfied with this i want you to kindly get back to me with these information which the payment would be sent out to you like this:
   Full Name ...............
   Address ..........
   City ...............
   Zipcode ............
   State ................
   Tel Phone numbers ( Home,Cell and Work Phone number ).........
   So that the payment can be issued out to you and sent out as soon as possible.Hope to read from you soon.
   Regards.

2. Thank you very much for your business relationship as regards my willingness to rent your apartment. I will like to informed you that we have the require funds to pay for the rent apartment, i will want you to do a favour?but the problems is that we have forward all our correspondence to our funding associate in USA which is charge in transfering the neccessary funds to you. I would prefer $575 for a weekly. At this moment we want to plead with to kindly co operate and understand our pligth,the total expenditure funds shall be forward to you as check,but aboved the requsted amount as in case we stay beyond the desire duration as that is the policy from the funding Authourity.
   A $5,000 dollars check would be remited to you which you are to cash and take the cost of our staying in your apartment while you remit the balance to my family in london.If this procedure is okay by you kindly send us the following:
   YOUR FULL NAME
   HOME CONTACT ADDRESS
   TEL NO
   If this aboved procedure is acceptable by you please contact me. We are sorry for any inconvenices this migth have cause you.
   Await your response.

3. Thanks for the email response so far. however i have contacted my client who will be issuing you the payment and he has promise to do so immediatly. Please note that he has promise to issue out the payment in the amount he his owing me so please kindly do me this favour as soon as you receive the payment. Make sure you cash the check, deduct the house fee and send the left-over so i can use it to book for me and my coming flight ticket to the home and aslo use in purchasing things needed for our hooney-moon at the home throughout our stay. Please do let me know if this is okay by so i can instruct him to hasten up with the payment. I await your mail response soonest

Example of enquirer wanting to send a cheque from (more often than not) an undeveloped country.

Hello, I am a consultant with a U.K based Organisation. I am presently based in Africa (Nigeria), with a Subsidiary of the Company. I am interested in renting your Apartment for my Annual Leave which coicindentally falls within the period of Our 10th Year Wedding Anniversary and We Intend spending that in your city, God's willing I will be making the trip with my Husband and Eldest Son. So I will like to know the followings: Is the Abode is availiable for rent?. What is the Cost of the Rental for 4 mounts ?. What is the total package for the rentals(in terms Facilities and so on)?. What is the Method of Payment for the Rental?. We are Non-Smoker and have no pets either Please I need you to get back to me with answers to the above enquiry and also your Contact Information(Names Address And Telephone Number), inother for me to get back to my Boss, so as to start working on this in time for our arrival. I will be looking forward to hear from you soon.Thanks.

If you would like advice on specific enquiries you receive, contact customer services here