I wanted to help a young couple looking for a place to live. I went on Craig's list and replied to a few ads. One stuck out, almost too good to be true. Only £88 per week for a room in a beautiful location, in a beautiful house. A few emails back and forth with the person at the other end, male or female it was impossible to say, although a female name was used as a signature, it started to get a bit dodgy. The person wanted proof of deposit, paid to myself through a very well known payment agency, and wanted me to scan the document to 'her'. It all felt very strange.
I made a few enquiries and this 'woman' justified the need for a proof of deposit to my name, as to her own safety as things had been stolen from her flat when she was showing the room to strangers. It still did not make any sense. I had never heard of landlords expecting to see proofs of deposit when you have not even seen the room yet.
I asked the 'woman' if we could speak on the phone. But she declined and started to get annoyed. If I could not be bothered to go through all the hassle then she could not trust that I was genuine and gave me more funny explanations. I felt that I was being overly suspicious and eventually agreed to do what she asked. Immediately she sent me a scanned passport to 'reassure me' which said she was Polish.
The feeling of uneasiness in my stomach became stronger. As the day went by I felt more and more uneasy to the point that I started to panic. Having been conned before, I recognized the feeling. This time instead of being more concerned to please the other person, I chose to listen to my instincts that were definitely against doing any transaction of any kind and so I asked:
"How can I found out if this is a scam?" The inspiration came immediately. I googled the name that this presumed lady used for the email address and there it was in plain sight for all to see. It was a massive scam. There is a website that has taken the trouble to collect these scammers emails and make it public on the internet. Word for word, the ad was cited, and used with different email addresses, advertising different locations in London. Once the receipt with the money in your name is scanned through Western Union, the other person can collect the money anywhere in the world, as no proof of ID is required, and you will never see your money again, or the apartment for that matter.
I could not believe it! I almost fell for it, because I was afraid to 'upset' a total stranger, and because I wanted the room that looked really nice and was so reasonably priced.
Equally though I felt ecstatically happy. By listening to that nagging feeling that something was not right, I had proved myself right, and saved myself the humiliation of being conned and of losing a big chunk of money. When you are being conned, is not so much that the loss of the money that is a problem, but the feeling of having been so naive. You feel so stupid that is almost unbearable.
People who cheat and steal to survive belong to a very sad category, but that is for them to see. What we must do is to learn to trust our own power and not to be afraid of saying no. Whichever deal you are entering into, whether is rental agreement or anything else, always trust your own instincts. Don't give in to fear of upsetting others by asking questions, and do not fear to make inquiries before parting with your cash.
www.lucianellahealing.com
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