マジな話で詐欺に遭遇した！！
この前の冬休みにちょっくら友達とアメリカ国内を旅行をしようと思って計画を練っていました。
航空券や電車、バスまでチケットをとってあとは宿泊先を見つけるだけだ！と思い様々なホテルやモーテルAirBNBなどを探していましたが、なかなかいい場所が見つからない！！！！！！！！！！！
だって１ヶ月近く旅行しようとしていたからどうしてもホテルだと値段がばかみたいに高くなる。
もちろんAirBNBなんかはやすいところもあるんだけどもうほとんど予約済み。。。
そんならもう賃貸探した方がいいよ！ということでたくさんのサイトを漁りまくった！
。。。がそんな簡単にいいところが見当たらず
思い切って旅行先の近くにある大学に寮を貸してくれないか、そしてもし無理ならいい宿泊サイトを教えてくれと聞いてみた。
ちなみに、この大学とは州立大のかなりの有名校である。。
その大学から返信メールをもらったが案の定寮は貸せないとのこと。
だが、サイトは教えてもらったし、そもそもその大学のホームページに観光者用にそのサイトを紹介していた。
そんな時に見つけたのがCraigslistだ。
ここのサイトはかなり規模が大きく、アメリカではとても有名なサイトだ。
そうなんだ。。。
ここのサイトで詐欺に遭ったんだ！
１つ注意して欲しいのがここのサイト自体が詐欺的なのではない。
聞いた話によるとCraigslistは多くの人が出品できるためその数に比例して詐欺の件数も多いらしい。
要するに詐欺の温床なのである。
もちろん、ちゃんとした販売元もあるのでCraigslistにある全てを悪ということはできないが詐欺に気をつけなければいけないということだ。
実際に経験したことを紹介する。
まず、Craigslistで個人が出品しているいい賃貸を見つけたのでその物件の詳細ページに飛んだ。
そこにはもし借りたい場合はここにあるGmailにメールしてくれと書いてあったのでそこに物件を借りたいとメールしてみた。
帰ってきた返信がこれだ。
一部編集してあります。
Hi,
Thank you very much for your text regarding my apartment, my apartment is still available for rent. I would like to tell you somethings about myself, I have been moving around with my job from one state to another for the past few years back (MASSACHUSETTS,LOS ANGELES,IOWA,FLORIDA ), but 3 yrs ago, i decided to settle down here, so that is why i bought this apartment, let me say I'm a loving and trustworthy person who is respectful to kids and pets and honest, caring, and easy going as can be. I can explain the job in more detail if you want, but trust me, it doesn't get any more exciting. I am neat and clean, but not obsessive about it. I guess I have a “you use it, you clean it” way of looking at things. I don’t smoke and I don’t have a pet but I'm pet friendly, so I wish to offer out my apartment to someone who is clean freak to help me take a very good care of my apartment while am away, the apartment is clean and fully equipped with a lovely kitchen, bathtub, dish washer and internet. Room is furnished with bed accommodating two people and have a private bathroom and toilet, The apartment is in a very trendy and neighborhood, offering a range of bars,restaurants, transport stations, clubs, schools and weekend markets, all only a few minutes away, there is also a living/dining room available. Here are some details of my apartment you should know:
FLAT ADDRESS: **********BEDROOM: One Bedroom
BATHROOM: One Bathroom
KITCHEN: Yes
LIVING ROOM/DINING ROOM: Yes
RENT AMOUNT/Per month including all utility bills: $900
REFUNDABLE SECURITY DEPOSIT: $900
FURNISHED: Yes (fully furnished)
PETS: allowed ( clean cat and dog allowed ) no fee for pets.
MINIMUM PERIOD: 1 month
MAXIMUM PERIOD: 4 years
AVAILABILITY: Immediately.
I HAVE SOME FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
1. How old are you?
2. When are you looking to move in?
3. Where are you right now? You just want to travel here?
3. How long do you want to rent it for?
4. Tell me a bit about yourself.
5. What do you do for a living?
Any interested tenant will be living alone in there and won't be sharing anything with anybody (unless you are moving in with a partner or a friend). I will be very glad if you can get back to me with some information about yourself too, as i stated about myself above, so i can know something about you too. It is not the money that is the main problem, that is why the price of my apartment is so low, to rent an apartment is highly cost, as for me, i do not mean to make things hard for people who doesn't have much money on them and wants to live in the city because i have a good job and i am satisfied with the pay, i only need someone who is responsible and will help me take a very good care of my apartment and keeping my apartment tidy all the time in my so that I will be glad to see it neat is all what i care about.
NOTE: PRESENTLY I'M OUT, THE COMPANY I WORK WITH HAVE JUST TRANSFERRED ME TO SUPERVISED A NEW PROJECT GOING ON OUTSIDE, SO THAT IS WHY I'M LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT PERSON TO TAKE CARE OF MY APARTMENT.
Let me know what you think. Although I might not know the kind of person you are but I believe even knowing you before moving in doesn't mean I would know if you have any hidden bad behavior or something, but i have the feeling and the believe that you will never disappoint me, i only want you to behave yourself in my apartment and please help me take a very good care of it.
これを見てどうだろうか？
一見いい人にしか見えない。だが落ち着いて見てみると微妙に英語がおかしかったりなんとも言えない感じがする。
そのあと、そのメールに書いてあった質問に答えて返信してした。
そのあとのメールがこれだ。
Hi,
I really appreciate your level of commitment to rent my apartment, i really appreciate it a lot, thank you very much for the detailed information you gave to me about yourself, it really helps a lot and it gives me a clear view of who you really are and I hope you are going to be better tenant. With no doubt in my mind i know that my apartment is given to the right person in you and I also know you will help me take good care of my apartment. I understand you will like us to meet because you want to have a look at the apartment but due to my trip, i won't be around to show you round the apartment, but I can assure you the apartment is best suit for you and you won't have any problem because i have my own dignity to protect here. I have reached and made an agreement with FedEx in delivering the keys to the interested tenant. I would like you to make secure the apartment, the processes are not much, you only need to sign a rental document, then you need to have some documents to yourself as proof of assurance, then we proceed to the payment level. I would be willing to make available a scanned copy of my identity card, which I am not supposed to expose over the internet for security reasons, but in this situation, we need to be sure of whom we are both dealing with. I will be needing the following info from you:
Your Full nameCurrent addressAgeTelephone numberOccupationMove in dateA scanned or take a picture of your international passport or any form of identity. (I will send mine along with the lease contract)
The utilities bills are included in the rent (gas, water and electricity), and there is a parking space available in my apartment. The first month rent will be $900 and the security deposit is also $900 making $1800 and you will have your security deposit back whenever you are leaving the apartment in good state and if you are terminating the apartment you will give a notice of two weeks before the rent fee expires. There is an internet subscription already in the apartment and there is also a laundry machine in my apartment, my expectation from my tenant is to take good care of my apartment and pay up his/her rent fee on time, and I can't say precisely when I will be coming back but I may just come around to do inspection some time which you will be informed before coming. FedEx will be delivering the keys to you once an agreement is reach between us and i will provide you with the reference number which will give you access to the keys.
Hope to hear from you soon.
まあこれも普通にいい人感が溢れている。
しかし、あまりにもうまくいきすぎな気がする。
そのあと、また必要要件を書いて返信した。
そしてこれがその返信。
I got your details and i must tell you that i am fully satisfied with it, i will get back to you with the lease contract and a scanned copy of my identity, it shouldn't take more than few hours to get it to you so that you can sign it and send it back to me before proceeding to the payment and getting the keys
Please reconfirm your address because that is where the keys will be delivered to after your payment has been confirmed.
PS: You will have to sign the lease agreement and make the payment once i send it to you so you can get the keys.
Thank you once again. Please provide USA phone number
そして電話番号も教えると次はこんなだった
How are you doing today. Please kindly find the attached scanned copy of my identity and the lease contract at the end of this email. You are to SCAN, sign and email me the last page of the lease agreement back, you can send it via email too,.you will send payment of the refundable security deposit $900 and the one month rent $900 making a total of ($1800) to acquire the apartment and be rest assured the apartment is yours because I have numerous people who needs the house but your response has been quite encouraging. That's why I want you to hurry up in making the payment and getting the keys to fend off competition. So you can have the keys and document by today/tomorrow and you can move in when you are ready, that's if you can send the funds today/tomorrow I will forward your information to courier service (FedEx) and i will provide you with the code number which will give you access to the keys when the courier agent deliver the keys.
You are to send the fund ( BANK CASH DEPOSIT) through my P.A's account. Below is the Account Information which you will be sending the funds to: This is the P.A assign to work with me here and also my run around agent here due to the fact that I'm new to this area.
Account Number:..................111111111111Bank Name:.......................Bank NameAccount Name:..............aaaaaaaaaaaaa
Get back to me with the payment receipt once you have it.
NOTE: ALL PAYMENT RECEIVED ARE REFUNDABLE IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE APARTMENT, BUT I AM GIVING YOU A BENEFIT OF DOUBT THAT YOU WILL LIKE THE APARTMENT. Get back to me as soon as you can...
このメールとともにメール主のIDと契約書も添付されていた。
契約書はとてもよくできていたが、そう言ったことに詳しい友達がいうところによると紋章の位置や記述の仕方が正確ではないらしく、その契約書はただの見せかけで実際は無効らしい。
その偽契約書に署名して返信するとそいつはお金を催促してきた。
お金を振り込む前に相手のことをもっと知りたかったので電話しようというと会社の規則でできないという。
家に帰ったらでいいと言ってもダメだった。
そいつは自分の名義でない銀行口座やWestern Unionでの受け取りを希望してきた。
要するに足が着かないようにしてるのだろう。
Western Unionで支払おうと決めたてWestern Unionのある店で手続きをしていざ振り込もうとすると一緒に手続きをしていたお店のスタッフの人にこんな金額を払うのかと少し驚いていた。
そしてこう聞いてきた。
”振込相手とは知り合いか？ 会ったことはあるか？”と
もちろん会ったことも電話したこともない。
そうするとそのスタッフの人は最近は詐欺が多いから知らない人には送金できないと言われてしまった。
でもその時、まだ本当に詐欺に遭遇しているとは思ってもいなかった。
少し不安になったくらいだった。
だから、別のお店に行ってWestern Unionで再度手続きをした。
そのあと振込した旨をメールで伝えた。
そうするとしばらく返信がなかった。
しばらくすると返信がきた。
Western Unionに電話してお金を受け取れるようにしてくれと。
Western Unionは金額が大きい場合Western Unionに電話して振込人の承認がないとお金を受け取れないのだ。
そのあと恐る恐る友達が電話をした。
無事、相手がお金を受け取れるようにした。
それを相手にメールをしてそのことを伝えた。
正直あの時はものすごく不安だった。
でも、借りる場所がないと困ることと、旅行まで時間が少なかったこともあってあまり深く考えていなかった。
やることは一通り全てやったが、不安がどんどん溜まっていく。
だからネットでCraigslistでの詐欺について調べてみた。
そうすると、似たようなことに遭遇した人が書いたサイトがあったので読んでみたらほとんど特徴が一致していたので直ちに友達に連絡してお金の受け取りを遮断してもらった。
だから、大きな被害には遭わなくて済んだが少しでも気づくのが遅かったら危ないところだった。
まとめ
なので、皆さんもCraigslistを使う時はよく気をつけるようにしましょう。
できればなるべくCraigslistを使わないでホテルはAirBNBなど信頼できるところから買ったり借りるようにしましょう。
目の前の値段に飛びつくとかえって大きな損害が出ます。
気をつけるようにしましょう！！
