I'm posting this because it may get the award for the longest lamest "backstory" offered up by a scammer.
Hello,
Thanks very much for e-mailing me back ,i really appreciate it, am also sorry for getting back to you late.. I am Linda Scott by name and live in Seattle, WA. I would have been kind of happy if we can meet before making any plans, but am very busy and i have a lot of things to do right now.. I will really appreciate it if you can tell me more about the place and tell me little about you because my uncle is presently very sick, and i have to travel to Finland to see him but i want to secure the place down before going. He was involved in a car crash with his new car some weeks back and now ill seriously, I need to check on him and take good care of him.
I am staying in CHRMC Children's Hospital Seattle staff Quarters now
The address is below:
4800 Sandpoint Way NE Seattle, WA 98105
I am moving cause of my job, am a medical Humanitarian nurse for united Nations. I work for CHRMC Children's Hospital in Seattle but will be working in a local clinic over there, More about me, am a neat type of person, honest, humble and responsible. I like honest, responsible and hardworking people while i hate the lazy, messy and uncaring people....well am a quiet and gentle going person to live with....I am 27 yrs old female, 5.4 in height ,i like tourism and i don't keep late at nights neither i will have overnight guest around but am ok if you do..
I was born and brought up in Finland, i studied there i had my university education right there while staying with my uncle.. I lived all my life in Finland before coming down to Seattle, WA have been living with my uncle from age 13 ...Then i was member of the Red Cross Association it really sounds interesting for me...
Am sure You 'll really like the person that i am ,because i will also do the dishing if you like I work when i am to and relax when i am to, I also like sharing my thoughts also....paying rent on time will not be a problem as i will also be making the rent fee before the month ends....
I do not have any pet, i really like dog and cat but have none of it now, so there is no problem about that.
I must confess am comfortable with the price and I will want to secure the place down before my arrival so i will want you to tell me all about the place as i can't see it before my arrival but the pictures...I also will want you to know that i have my car that i will be coming over with little of my furniture.
please let me know if there will be room for them. With all that I've said above I have told you more about me and more picture of mine will be attach in the next email Let me also know how i can go about securing the place down before my arrival as i will also be busy from next week and let me know if you can take off the ad off the site as i am going to secure the place with a deposit
Feel free to ask me any question and as I've said i am looking to move in by the availability of the place but want to secured it now
Thanks..
I'm so glad I found your post. I was contacted by this person in response to a room for rent in Arizona, and my gut told me something wasn't right, so I searched online for anything about the e-mail/person Linda Scott and found this. They ended up sending me this exact e-mail. I hope no one falls prey to this scammer. It's disgusting.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about asking them for a cashier's check... Got the email today.
ReplyDeleteA cashier's check is how they used to run the scam, until they started losing too much money mailing the check overnight and then having the potential figure it out and not lose their money. So now the scammers want to move faster so they tend to use the stolen credit card avenue (using numbers stolen but not yet reported so they clear).
ReplyDeleteBut if you can get them to overnight you a cashier's check, you've at least made them spend some money. Of course, the check will look like a cashier's check but will be fraudulent.
Yikes, I have been corresponding with "Linda" and also felt like something wasn't on the up and up. Thank God for Google. I hope other people do the same research.
ReplyDeleteYes! You did exactly what we hope more people learn to do - if something doesn't feel right, google it and hopefully something about it has already been posted... or enough other similar things that more people can verify they are looking at a scam BEFORE they send any money to some non-existent third party shipping company via Western Union.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. I love lowering the success rate of scammers. I live for it. (smile)
Yay! I was just contacted by this person about a room for rent in RI. Thankfully I love googling people... Yay! I was just contacted by this person about a room for rent in RI. Thankfully I love googling people...
ReplyDeleteI just got the exact email as well. I thought it was a scam initially but my friends said to just ask her to tell a little about herself and where she's from. She replied with the same email which I thought was really weird and didn't reply back. I just googled her and found this! Thank you Google!
ReplyDeleteHere is the email I received from "Linda Scott" on 12/12/2011 regarding a room for rent in CA:
ReplyDelete"How are you? My name is Linda Scott. I hope all is going on fine over
there. Am very happy for receiving your e-mail,i so much appreciate
it.. Now,am in Vermont,this is my present address...85 Fairfield St,
St Albans, VT. my rent fee is about to due in 2 weeks time,so am
relocating and I will like to move in by weeks in December.
I would have suggest we should meet before making any plans,but am
very busy right now,and i have alot of things to do. But i will like
you to tell me more about the place and the area,i will like you to
also tell me more about you,my uncle is sick presently,so i want to go
to Finland(My home country) to take care of him very well,though i
won't take long over there,but i really want to secure the place down
before going,so do let me know amount of security deposit i have to
send..
More about me,am a neat type of person,honest,humble and responsible.
I like honest,responsible,and hardworking people while i hate the
lazy,messy and uncaring people....well,am a quiet and gentle going
person to live with....I am 5.7 in height,i like tourising,and i don't
keep late at nights,neither i will have overnight guest around,but am
ok if you do..
I am 25 years old of age,i give people respect,both adult and young
ones,am humble,am very easy to get along with...
I don't have pet but am okay with pet,i don't drink and i don't
smoke,i don't keep late at night,and am a straight female with no
drama..
I was born and brought up in Finland,i studied there,i had my
university education right there while staying with my uncle.. I lived
all my life in Finland before coming down to Vermont have been living
with my uncle since have been 13 years old of age...Then i was member
of the Red Cross Association,it really sounds interesting for me...
Why am moving and my work:
Am moving over to your state because i understand that i'll be doing
good over there,as have been told by my uncle's friend who have once
live over there. And i will be working with any hospital around you as
i am also making necessary enquiries on that now....
Am sure You 'll really like the person that i am ,because i will also
do the dishing if you like,I work when i am to and relax when i am
to,I also like sharing my thoughts also....paying rent on time will
not be a problem as i will also be making the rent fee before the
month ends....
Right now.I ve the support of my uncle about my well being,so you
shouldn't be bothered about if i am competent of paying the rent ..
I must confess am comfortable with the price and I will want to secure
the place down before my arrival so i will want you to tell me all
about the place,as i can't see it before my arrival but the
pictures...I also will want you to know that i have my car that i will
be coming over with,and little of my furniture's,please let me know if
there will be room for them..
With all that i ve said above,I have told you more about me and more
picture of mine will be attach in the next email,Let me also know how
i can go about securing the place down before my arrival as i will
also be busy from next week preparing to come over and let me know if
you can take off the ad off the site as i am going to secure the place
with a deposit
Feel free to ask me any question and as i ve said,i am looking to move
in by the availability of the place,but want to secured it now.
Thanks.."
Yeah, way too many unnecessary details, setting you up for why they would have a shipping company and why they are going overpay a deposit to you and then ask you to "forward" the difference to their shipping company for their fee, via Western Union. Except there is no shipping company and their deposit will be a fraudulent check or stolen credit card number. It's just them at the other end of Western Union, collecting up your good money and then disappearing into the shadows again to send out more emails for more victims.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see they didn't get you in this scam.
At least this dumbass could use a different name
ReplyDeleteSame Linda Scott
Same bullshit letter
Thank you everyone for posting this site. Seriously saved my ass!
How are you? My name is Linda Scott. I hope all is going on fine over there. Am very happy for receiving your e-mail,i so much appreciate it.. Now,am in vermont,this is my present address...85 Fairfield St, St Albans, VT. my rent fee is about to due in 2 weeks time,so am
relocating and I will like to move in by weeks in December.
I would have suggest we should meet before making any plans,but am very busy right now,and i have alot of things to do. But i will like
you to tell me more about the place and the area,i will like you to also tell me more about you,my uncle is sick presently,so i want to go
to Finland(My home country) to take care of him very well,though i won't take long over there,but i really want to secure the place down
before going,so do let me know amount of security deposit i have to send..
More about me,am a neat type of person,honest,humble and responsible.
I like honest,responsible,and hardworking people while i hate the lazy,messy and uncaring people....well,am a quiet and gentle going
person to live with....I am 5.7 in height,i like tourising,and i don't keep late at nights,neither i will have overnight guest around,but am ok if you do.. I am 25 years old of age,i give people respect,both adult and young ones,am humble,am very easy to get along with... I don't have pet but am okay with pet,i don't drink and i don't smoke,i don't keep late at night,and am a straight female with no
drama.. I was born and brought up in Finland,i studied there,i had my university education right there while staying with my uncle.. I lived all my life in Finland before coming down to vermont have been living with my uncle since have been 13 years old of age...Then i was member of the Red Cross Association,it really sounds interesting for me...
Why am moving and my work:
Am moving over to your state because i understand that i'll be doing good over there,as have been told by my uncle's friend who have once live over there. And i will be working with any hospital around you as i am also making necessary enquiries on that now....
Am sure You 'll really like the person that i am ,because i will also do the dishing if you like,I work when i am to and relax when i am
to,I also like sharing my thoughts also....paying rent on time will not be a problem as i will also be making the rent fee before the month ends....
Right now.I ve the support of my uncle about my well being,so you shouldn't be bothered about if i am competent of paying the rent ..
I must confess am comfortable with the price and I will want to secure the place down before my arrival so i will want you to tell me all
about the place,as i can't see it before my arrival but the pictures...I also will want you to know that i have my car that i will be coming over with,and little of my furnitures,please let me know if there will be room for them..
With all that i ve said above,I have told you more about me and more picture of mine will be attach in the next email,Let me also know how
i can go about securing the place down before my arrival as i will also be busy from next week preparing to come over and let me know if
you can take off the ad off the site as i am going to secure the place with a deposit
Feel free to ask me any question and as i ve said,i am looking to move in by the availability of the place,but want to secured it now.
Thanks..
Hi again ,
ReplyDeleteThanks once again for the quick reply I would have loved to call You but am leaving now to see my sick uncle in Finland ,i can only communicate through email but I will, whenever i get there but before that i will want to secure the place, I am very happy meeting a person like you It 's nice reading from you again and i will never ever want to loose the room even without seeing the place ,I will want You to know that i am okay with the cost ,if none is included again.....
I got to believe that the person that one wants to live with matters most i believe that you'll be a nice person I just have my dressers, computer table, kitchen utensils and a queen size bed,2 big luggage's and my car to be shipped....
I got a message that my uncle is sick in Finland, i hope have already mention that before and i have to go see him but i am making plans to secure place so that when i come back i'll just move in into the place we are talking about. and with the way we ve communicated, I am okay with you and i want you to know that i don't want to make any travel plans without securing a place down now, I will be signing a year lease for the start if you are okay with that so I’ve let my uncle understand more about you and the place, He is really comfortable and he told me that it is a nice area he had lived in the states before and he said that i should not afford to loose your place also he said that i should try and make sure that i hold down the place,so i thought of it and i will be making payment to hold down the place and the mode of payment will be by United State Certified Money Order or cashier check so pls let me know the one you prefer. And if YES pls provide me with the following information to get the payment to you.Your full name as it will appear on the payment, your work place address or home address,to ensure delivery in your hands through regular mails or a courier service your phone number on the package to avoid package missing in transit.I will be moving to your place by first week of Jan ,Kindly get back to me with this requested payment information so that we can proceed asap i would also want to know if the ad has been taking off the site?am attaching some couple of pictures of my self along with this mail for you to have an idea of what i look like.
Feel free to ask me any question(s) you have okay
Thanks...
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I don't understand why this scammer is still using the same name and story over and over. Obviously people are catching on. Anytime I get a weird email I always ask for more information and google the shit out of them :P Linda Scott just emailed me about an hour ago with the same exact story. I emailed her back letting her know just what I thought of her :D
ReplyDeleteFirst, remember, scammers are not too bright. They never clean up the grammar of their emails and seem to use the same templates over and over. Secondly, its a numbers game for them. They send out millions and get x number of replies and get x number of people from those replies to receive their fake money, and then get x number of people from that pool to actually forward their own good money back to the scammers via Western Union. They are after that last step and its a numbers game for them.
ReplyDeleteI have to believe this blog and associated facebook page have had some effect on reducing their success rate. We did see many scammers shift from "certified check" to "credit card" (which will always turn out to be a stolen number) but other than that, the scam has not altered all that much. I do believe they use some kind of software not only to siphon up email addresses but to create their fake email content and send the emails out in batches on hijacked servers.
I am glad to hear more and more people are searching on google before they lose any money or items. That is a good trend. And everyone will have to keep sharing so there are results in google to be found as an alert to others.
Good job everyone!
im so naive! My husband caught on late into my emailing with her that it was a scam. we just got the check today and that's when red flags went up. first it was from a man who i googled to be a very nice UNEMPLOYED man in texas but was mailed from baltimore when she's supposed to be in Finland with her now dead uncle. I didnt think scammers would ever spend sooo much time on a backstory. we now know to get rid of the check but can she do anything with our address and name or gmail account?
ReplyDeleteim so nervous now! and wayyy behind on finding a renter.
You may end up receiving more of these types of emails because they know you replied and almost fell for one and they have your email address but I very much doubt they will do anything with your physical address - they like to stay hidden so the authorities can not catch them.
ReplyDeleteScammers have very elaborate back stories to try and distract victims from the part of the scam that doesn't make sense - overpaying for something and then asking that your money be forwarded some place else via Western Union. If a victim falls for their weird backstory, they are hoping they will also fall for what the part that makes the scam work for them.
You lost some time but really, this has a good ending - you figured it out before you lost any money. I'm glad. Turn the check into your bank and see if they want to forward it to their fraud department.
i just got this email today i live in Rochester MN what a waste of my time that was till i found this website from Google.
ReplyDeleteI just got this same e-mail yesterday from an Eveliina Patrick. I was stoked...can't wait to move haha. too good to be true in this neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI got the exact email from a Rosa anna or the email adress was from rosa_smith@mail.com. I wish I could find this person in real life... These people are scum and that's bring nice I don't want to use profanity....
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for a roommate and that email you got looks familiar especially about the humanitarian worker. Thanks for posting this, now I know they are scammers:/
ReplyDeleteReceived the same e-mail from a Sandra Ochoe on 4/23/12 living at 85 Fairfield St, St Albans, VT. Thanks for this web site for posting the scam. Can't thank you enough! It was so surprising to see the same e-mails we were receiving posted here. I'm glad I finally found the time to google the address she was supposedly living at and found your web site! Thanks once again, you saved my wife and I a lot of grief. Heads up to the next victim.
ReplyDelete5/20/2012 I just got the same email from Sandra Ochoe living at 85 fairfield st in response to our Savannah, GA craigslist ad listing looking for a housemate. My yahoo email account figured out it was spam without my help.
ReplyDelete