Almost ripped off: Internet House Scam

We found an apartment on the internet that we could use during our time in Holland. It was in the center of Amsterdam, quite close to the Central Station. They required quite a high deposit (because they supposedly had had problems with previous tenants) but the rent was almost too good to be true. And as they say, when it seems too good to be true, it usually is...

Luckily Bernt's brother Gerben could check the house out and even though it was in a closed-off area, he spoke to one of the people going through the gate and asked him. And it was a known scam: the lady regularly gets people knocking on her door wanting to move in.
We immediately contacted the police in Australia and Holland, and managed to keep the scammers on a leash for about a week. Regrettably though the police was very unhelpful (Australia) and slow (Amsterdam), so we couldn't aid in catching the culprits.
The thing that made us suspicious was that they wanted to get the deposit via a Western Union money transfer - which is untraceable, and can be collected at any Western Union office anywhere in the world...

Following is the email conversation that we had with the scammers (in reverse order, as per normal email histories). I've deleted our contact details from the conversations.

______________________________

From: Bernt
Sent: Monday, 26 May 2008 17:34 PM
To: 'bhrtanova@yahoo.com'
Subject: RE: appartement

Hello Hrtanova,

We'll be arriving on Tuesday June 10th, at 7 in the morning, after a 30 hour
flight from Melbourne. We wouldn't have slept much because our two young
children would've kept us up during the flight, and of course they're
jetlagged and tired too after such a long flight.

But it won't matter, because we'll have your wonderful apartment at the
Imogirituin 41 in Amsterdam, with beds ready for us to go to sleep in.

So we'll be meeting you around 8am at your apartment, dreary-eyed but happy
that we're finally there and can move into our home for the next three
months.

However, there will be nobody there because you scammed us.

Do you realise how much pain, hurt and suffering you have caused people with
your dishonesty? I don't understand how you sleep at night.
Do yourself and the world a favour and find an honest job. Somehow your
actions will catch up with you.

Bernt
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora [mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, 24 May 2008 1:39 AM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement

Hello,

Thanks for the mai..Yes,i understand your concern about showing your
lawyer the contract..Ok.so i will wait till monbday..Please by monday,i want
everything finalized.ok.

Hope to hear from you on monday unfailingly.

Regards.

--- On Fri, 5/23/08, Bernt wrote:
From: Bernt
Subject: RE: appartement
To: bhrtanova@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, May 23, 2008, 1:02 PM

Dear Hrtanova,

Sorry for this delay, but it is out of our control that our lawyer
fell ill. Just like you neede to have the contract drawn-up by your lawyer,
my wife insists we have our lawyer check the contract before we sign it. I
am sure you can understand that, and we really want your appartment. She
should be back on Monday, and we can arrange everything then.

Thank you very much,

Bernt
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora [mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, 23 May 2008 21:41 PM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement

Hello,

It seems you are not serious..I just know you are wasting my
time....Besides,am i renting room to your lawyer and there is no part for
him to sign in the contract..so why are you waiting for his recovery before
you sign the documents and make the payments..You mean you are doubting
me....Infact,i don't like a tenant doubting my trust..Do you think i am
after your money..You are the one that needs house and not me..I pray you
don't regret loosing my nice flat.Well,the ball is in your court.My lawyer
has really been expecting the papers,yet you have not sign it. Well,i will
respond to other tenants that my flat is still vacant..ok.

Regards.

--- On Fri, 5/23/08, Bernt wrote:
From: Bernt
Subject: RE: appartement
To: bhrtanova@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, May 23, 2008, 8:47 AM

Hi Hrtanova,

It turns out my lawyer got the flu and took the day off
sick. She will hopefully be back on Monday. I hope you can keep the
appartment until then, thank you,

Bernt
_______________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora [mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, 23 May 2008 18:21 PM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement

Hello,

Haven't you receive confirmation from him..Please let me
know if you are serious with the rent or i answer other tenants.

Regards.

--- On Thu, 5/22/08, Bernt wrote:
From: Bernt
Subject: RE: appartement
To: bhrtanova@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008, 9:49 AM

Dear Hrtanova,

Yes we will, we want to get this organised as soon
as possible too, since it will give us the peace of mind that we do have a
great place in Amsterdam!

With warm regards,

Bernt
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora [mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, 22 May 2008 19:41 PM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement

ok..But please,hasten the signing and the payments.

Regards.

________________________________

--- On Thu, 5/22/08, Bernt wrote:

From: Bernt
Subject: RE: appartement
To: "'Hrtanova Barbora'"
Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008, 8:40 AM

Dear Hrtanova,

Thank you for your emails and the contract
documents. I called my lawyer this morning to check the documents, but she
hasn't returned my call yet. Her office said she was in meetings most of the
day. Since it's now past 6pm in Australia, I hope to hear from her tomorrow.
I'll contact you as soon as I have confirmation from my lawyer that the
documents are fine to be signed.

Sorry for the delay, cheers,

Bernt
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora
[mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 21 May 2008 19:02 PM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement


Hello,
I have attached the original documents to
this mail,you print it out and sign it then you make the deposit payment
via western union and attach the receipt from western union office to the
fully signed contract documents...Then scan it back to me..As soon as i
confirm it ,i will book for my flight and come over to on time before June
11 which you intended to move in so that i can view you my apartment and
handover you the keys for you to move in.Incase you don't have a scanner
presently,,just send me the western union details such as MTCN,SENDER'S NAME
AND ADDRESS,AMOUNT SENT. Then,you can post the documents to me.

Details for the Payment..
Name : Hrtanova Barbora
Address: 308 NORBURY AVENUE,LONDON,SW16 3RL.

Hope to read from you soon.
Regards.

--- On Wed, 5/21/08, Bernt wrote:
From: Bernt

Subject: RE: appartement
To: "'Hrtanova Barbora'"
Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 3:15AM

Dear Hrtanova,

Thank you for your mail, and that is
great news that you can organise the parking for us like this.
However the photos you sent were the
same you sent last time, and I believe the two photos which show a bed seem
to be of the same bedroom.

Nevertheless, that's a minor issue,
so we'd like to go ahead with organising the lease, because time is running
out. Here are our details:

Bernt and Doris

Move in: June 11, 2008
Move out: September 16, 2008
Passport number
Nationality Dutch
Phone number

That should be all the details you need, I'm
looking forward to getting this all organised!
Sincerely,

Bernt
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora
[mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 21 May 2008 2:54 AM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement

Hello,

Thanks for your mail..Yes,the
parking space are at that rate but residents pay 2euros for 4hours.so you
don't have to worried about that,it will be taking care of as soon as we
reach into an agreement..Also,concerning the second bedroom,it the same
arrangement with that of the second bedroom i sent you..lets i forget,i
sent you two bedrooms pictures..I have resent it..ok.

So pls i want you to provide the
following details so that i can forward it to my lawyer to prepare the
documents as soon as possible.......
Name in full...
Address in full.
Date of move in and out...
Passport id number...
Nationality...
Phone number.....
As soon as we sign this documents
,then you can make the deposit payment and the receipt from western union
office will be attached to the fully signed documents and sent back to me
for proper documentation and future references....Because a receipt will be
issued to you.
So pls,i hope you understand me
and i want you to make haste so that i can book for my flight and come over
in time.
Hope to read from you soon.
Regards.

________________________________

--- On Tue, 5/20/08, Bernt wrote:
From: Bernt
Subject: RE: appartement
To: bhrtanova@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 8:39 AM

Dear Hrtanova,

Thank you again for your mail. My brother has just had a look at the apartment, and it looks great - we're very interested in renting it from you!
There is one question though: we will have a car in Holland, and my brother noticed that it's all paid parking around the apartment - at the rate of more than 2 euro per hour until midnight... We assume that residents can get a discounted parking rate, so could you possibly arrange that for us?
And do you have photographs of the second bedroom, or otherwise can you tell us what bedding arrangement it has?

Thank you very much in advance, with
warm regards,

Bernt
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora
[mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, 18 May 2008 4:43 AM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement

Hello,

Thanks for your mai..i will be
expecting your mail on tuesday..But i will like to tell you that there is no
problem with me coming over to hand over the keys to you but i have to
confirm your seriousness before i can come over..ok.

Hope to rread from you soon.

________________________________

--- On Sat, 5/17/08, Bernt wrote:

From: Bernt
Subject: RE: appartement
To: bhrtanova@yahoo.com
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2008, 7:26AM

Dear Hrtanova,

Thank you very much for your email,
and it all sounds great. My brother will look at it on Monday night, so I'll
probably email you on Tue if all is well, and I have no doubts about that!
We can transfer money via Western Union, or maybe if you are going to be in
Holland you can meet with my brother and he can give you the money. We will
be arriving on Tue June 11, early in the morning, and it would be great if
we could have the keys to your apartment then.
Do you also have photographs of the second bedroom and bathroom?

We will be in contact soon, with warm regards,

Bernt
ABCD (Annabelle, Bernt, Christopher and Doris) R
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora
[mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, 16 May 2008 23:30 PM
To: bernt
Subject: RE: appartement

Hello,

Thanks for your mail..Well,there
is a prking space right infront of my apartment,you might not be able to get
it very well on the Map,also,thanks for your understanding..I understand
your own points also,your brother can check it out for you,so when you are
ok with it,you can supply the following details for the contract..

Name in Full..
Address...
Nationality...
Passport Id number...
Date of move in and out...
Phone number....
Sex..................Male or
Female.
So as soon as i send you the
contract ,you print it out and sign it then make the transfer of the payment
to the details i wil give you and attach the receipt from western union
office to the fully signed documents and scan it back to me.

Hope to read from you soon.

________________________________

--- On Thu, 5/15/08, Bernt wrote:
From: Bernt
Subject: RE: appartement
To: "'Hrtanova Barbora'"
Cc: "Doris Do"
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008, 9:23PM

Dear Hrtanova,

Thank you for your quick reply. The
apartment looks really nice, and we are interested in it, and we are very
interested for the whole period we are in Holland, which is from June 11
until September 16. I just need to show my wife (who is still asleep - it's
6:30am in Australia), and I was also wondering about parking our car: I
looked on Google Maps and couldn't see any cars on the Imogirituin. Would it
be possible to park within walking distance - the car doesn't need to be
right outside our door.

Also, which building is your
appartment in on Google Maps (if you enter 'Imogirituin 41, amsterdam,
netherlands' into http://maps.google.com , and
select 'satellite' you will see a satellite photo of the area).

I fully understand your concerns
about reliable people in your appartment, and we feel the same way. Too many
people are dishonest, and it is even more sad that a real estate agent
treated you badly. You won't have any concerns like that with us!

My brother lives in Oostzaan, just
north of Amsterdam, and I just spoke to him. He is going away for the
weekend, but could drive past your appartment on Monday. If all is well we
would transfer the security deposit to you to secure the appartment.

Thank you very much, and I'm looking
forward to hearing from you,

Bernt
________________________________
From: Hrtanova Barbora
[mailto:bhrtanova@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, 16 May 2008 4:34 AM
To: Bernt
Subject: Re: appartement

Hi,
Thanks very much for your Kind interest in my apartment, i am
delighted to let you know that the apartment is still very much
available for long terms period of a year , presently no one is
occupying my apartment and it will be a great priviledge
renting you my Nice apartment located at the city centre of
Amsterdam. I need someone reliable, responsible, tidy and trustworthy
who will take very good care of my apartment as am away and
i will be very happy renting my apartment to a very
trustworty,responsible and Reliable Tenant .....

My apartment is a two bedrooms Flat which has separate
toilet and bathroom,a room cost 250euro per calendar month
and 700euro for security deposit payment for the period of
your staying in my apartment which is refundable while at the
end of the Contract ....Myapartment is available in either a
room or the whole apartment,the whole apartment will cost
you 500euro per calender month PLUS THE SECURITY
DEPOSIT OF 800euro and the bills includes all charges
such as water, gas and electricity,Access to internet service.

Also,there are Blankets and bedsheets in my apartment and i will want it to be well taking care of. Before we proceed with this contract,we need to introduce eachother formally......

Some vital Informations about myself,I am Miss Hrtanova
Barbora,i was born in Amsterdam,but my father is from Czech
Republic.I study International Relation in Czech Republic where
i aquire citizenship,I finished schooling and i was employed by
a multi national Company in Czech Republic,I was transfered to
United Kingdom june 2006.Presently i work with a Discovery
Company here in UK,I am a very Honest Landlord which has
the fear of God in him....... Actually the apartment belong to my Late Mother,who died
early last year 2007 and since then i have assumed the Total
Control of the apartment...I gave the apartment to an Agent
before but it was later i discovered he rip me off and also
exploit the Tenants and since then i have withdrew his services
as the Agent of my apartment.

DETAILS ABOUT MY APARTMENT..........
Address : Imogirituin, 41
Amsterdam java-island
Amsterdam 1019 RL Netherlands.
85 m2 attic sittuated in the center of the Eixample District

equipped with telephone and ADSL
internet connection.
Number of bedrooms:2
Number of bathrooms:2
Max number of people:5
Floor:Ground floor.
Monthly rental price: 250euros.00
per room,Whole Apartment

500 including all bills
Security Deposit: 800euros
Pictures available:YES

AMENITIES AVAILABLE.OUTSIDE
City View Lift
Balcony Terrace

INSIDE
Kitchen
American Kitchen Fridge & Freezer
Oven
Microwave Dish Washer Crockery
&Utensils
Bath Shower Hair Dryer
Towels

Extra features
Internet Dial Up Internet Broadband
Cable/Satelite
TV
Stereo/Radio System DVD Player
DVD/Music Collection
Library Telephone Fax
Central Heating Air Conditioning

Pets Welcome
You will be confirming these upon our meeting to view the
apartment together and signed up the contract,therefore i will
come down to meet you in person to know you and hand over
you the keys as soon as i confirm your deposit payment
because i have to confirm your seriousness before coming
down to meet you and take you to the apartment myself.....

This is Due to my past experienced of meeting tenant without
confirming their seriousness and readiness, it was later i
realised that most of them have no money ready for the rent
but to view the apartment,even some will not show up again
after my arrival to Amsterdam which i wasted my time and
money for nothing, since then i have been adviced by my
lawyer not to meet any tenant without confirming his or her
deposit payment, so i can only be available for viewing when i
confirm your readiness and seriousness then i have attached
the pics of the apartment to this mail so that you can have the
idea of the apartment.

Also, i want to give you some of the terms and conditions that guild the renting of my apartment as follows: The Tenant Will Pay a month Rent and Security Deposit in Advance to the Landlord Before Moving in to show a Good Sign of seriousness and the Security Deposit will be refunded back to the Tenant and the return of funds must be completed not later than 2 days at the ends of the Contract. The parties each wish to peacefully occupy the premises during the term of this agreement.

The parties agree that they and their respective invited visitors will not
i. Commit any act, which results in serious disruption of the
rights of each to peacefully occupy the premises
ii. Commit any act, which results in physical harm to the
parties, a member of her household, visitors or neighbours
iii.......... Cause or allow invited visitors to cause a nuisance.
iv.. Commit any form of harassment on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability,
which may interfere with the peace and comfort of the
environment, or cause offense to each other, a member of her
household, visitors or neighbours.
v. Play or allow to be played any radio, television, record or
tape recording or musical instrument so loudly that it causes a
nuisance or annoyance to the other party.

(b) Use of Premises: The Tenant agrees to use the premises for residential purposes and not to operate a business at the premises nor to use the premises for any illegal purposes...

Regards. So please let me know if you love my apartment so that we can proceed with the contract.

Hrtanova.
+447031931775

--- On Thu, 5/15/08, Bernt wrote:

From: Bernt
Subject: appartement
To: bhrtanova@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008, 1:46PM

Dag meneer/mevrouw,

Mijn vrouw vond uw appartement op
expatriates.com . Wij vroegen ons af of het
beschikbaar is van 11 tot 27 juni, en van 9 juli tot eind juli.
Zou u ook een adres en wat fotos kunnen sturen?
Hieronder volgt wat algemene informatie:

Wij zijn een australisch-nederlands gezin met twee jonge kinderen (2 en 4).

Wij zijn een professioneel gezin: ik ben elektrotechnicus (Universiteit Twente)
en mijn vrouw is apotheekster.
Wij zijn voorzichtig en netjes met dingen, en onze kinderen zijn relatief
rustig en gedragen zich goed.
U kunt meer informatie over ons vinden op onze website: http://therfamily.blogspot.com/

Wij kijken uit naar uw antwoord.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Bernt
ps - indien u ons wilt bellen, graag
niet later dan 2 uur 's middags in Nederland bellen (Australië loopt 8 uur
voor op NL)