Fake ads on Daft.ie

donalfo

I am looking for a place in Dublin for the last month or so. I've noticed these odd lettings that pop up every so often. http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1338073
This one has a great price, but on closer inspection the photographs are from an apartment outside of Ireland, i.e. the electrical sockets are not to Irish regulation. and 24 Abbey street does not look like that from google streetview.

I have seen a few of these in the last while, really good prices for swanky apartments, then they disappear after a few days. Are these the 'phantom landlords' scammers? Can these be reported, and if so, to whom?

athtrasna

Always do a reverse image search

Here's the results of the living room pic http://images.google.com/search?tbs=sbi:AMhZZituEIuekNfR18eJ8vHMjYgdlWzB-7j0XIfxODIMyLMI7NyKxl2XNYFBRAgjoLZmdISIB8QwcDDbosQFXzAJOGkNasjWRc-PST7xBP2-ZmMDu65oLdMX_1ABXKTMTY40K2Q1icqTEDMwNIn-AqcF-LfhAnt4S7nNlTTLR5FpaXyHpcZoT4Xp-2vhEnMTGm2NJJ0x8KB-G-kBQT5UxaSE0zlM-22N4LNPppMe3oI5o7EfRYL5U2BOcXKw6qieiKvSVLUVoiF2pFg98hlzx2kO_13gVgfKrwFVQWjgUDGZGT_1rQb66LTN89UpNStBureY5KTEEPwJArLW9JBkPmsF6EFz1PrKb1nHchJCDshuK8hCnqCHWCmaMkiHwwJ4plDOlHyDm0PCw8Hpr8HYLEFF-p25QOFKyQ2-3LI1tUC318F29sK5zwcUYlgmUetyonK3tg-TJ9rNTfocwo587Kq_111kzyhK08MgIlRL_1pzgWZ69Eox689gCaIMrlA_1ZBrAF8sOOluqbg2fTrlPGxfAF2HmgJHzT2BEDEonNR9Q8eZruOIsCv7hGyN-J5bMNxnxs6Bvf6XmUsw9b52UWD7CWJ1wxhfU7AV9OBebaqNYRtuWz0qzABR_1TnIskUHPIG4FoE3O7YDLxbQMeTz0MbiN5zyIDTtbdPMW4R9AWXfb4OcAf52AxrixAHVK7hL01b3RdDRwu9pzyf4CtQBNKTr4zzKyPPzLmgdk2VKliwRKlGJRLZVysdVmqH-UNu9lQHU2yJbEBd2htKNUHEtQvAX2D3DMBlMDE3qjElyCMCB9lRnoAW2UrhTDN_1ym5ev3ieDC7d4OIxvz5mD4zab0Jf4Lvedy6XsvY0AnUJgBovUj3BN_19CditfzVWJ6kQuZKPUs3xBgXOy8sM-p8NirS887z2XSnfEBphIHJvpA_1evjFWig8_1LpDIx51tnD-VDaRL2vCu5A1NhHyacsRT5anZC_1HDH5mtfZZdykHU73YG5Lb-dd1LfhmVFcgU0OV9R1tint79xmGN3mlYN9ZZUNFP5AfNCCp9kJxTfOaardTtRuKmhaqqhauCzLNmT0vTPLEEsZmwHCSFeU35Po0PTOfSlVk8N-nxJciBpUn9kG2reurxVi8KMslypd-pP2dwTB-Me-P2KHRk3RcE0jYoVIOg6uM0hRSyqGDXVwadJ0GxPseMuIGH90SvVyP7IIZiGNqgc8qlq3FxJZJZNiq1mU4u2GRua16C1W3t5Q7ecmk2nLiedWhILvtRhdmDdKeRBpodvGE7DkQLTpM5KriyfoF9wlXBy6xtG3bWLzNCK3tBTyUSmo8LivQ7PSOLIas&hl=en&bih=685&biw=1280

donalfo

I did not know you could do that, that's feckin' genius.

Victor

Scam.

With an Irish property, there is no way that an a single room with a double bed in it would be described as a single room.

athtrasna

donalfo wrote: »

I did not know you could do that, that's feckin' genius.

I learned about it on Catfish on MTV (about fake online profiles) - drag any picture into Google...so useful

donalfo

Victor wrote: »

Scam.

With an Irish property, there is no way that an a single room with a double bed in it would be described as a single room.

What really gave it away was the A1 BER.

BlatentCheek

Fascinating thread. I never heard of "phantom landlords" or reverse image searches before. May be looking at accommodation abroad soon so this is useful stuff to know.

djimi

donalfo wrote: »

What really gave it away was the A1 BER.

Thats what I was thinking; I doubt there are many of them in Ireland :pac:

donalfo

Here's another one that popped up today. http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1338140
I did that reverse image thingy and the pictures are from a luxury £5000 per week villa in baercelona. What the hells going on?

Timmyctc

but why do they do it?

donalfo

Timmyctc wrote: »

but why do they do it?

do they expect people to post cash deposits before seeing the property?

The one from yesterday is 'let'. I wonder if these show up on Daft.ie reports of rental prices.

I e-mailed the agent for the craic using my spam e-mail account to say that I'm interested in the apartment, just to see what happens.:)

donalfo

here's the actual villa, nice. http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/barcelona/252485

donalfo

A reply from yesterdays one

Hello,

I just read your e-mail regarding my apartment located in :24 Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1, Ireland. It has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms, 1 kitchen and 1 living room.
I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in Dublin, but now she's back home permanently, so I'm renting it out.
We will not use the place any more, so you can rent it even for a long term.
The flat is fully furnished and renovated, as you could see from the photos.
You can use my furniture, or you can also use your own if you prefer. If you decide to use yours, you can store my furniture in the large basement cellar.
The place is fully equipped with air conditioning, dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, LCD TV, etc.
Also, very important, the utilities (water, electricity,Internet, digital TV,) are included in the rent of 600eur/month.
The security deposit is 600eur, and you will get it back when you will move out (I will need a 30 days notice).
Now, a little bit about myself: My name is Gabriele Emilija wife of Daniel Emilija and I'm a 53 years old retired architect from London/United Kingdom.
I'm a pet owner myself, so I will have no problem if you want to keep a pet in the house, as long as nothing is damaged.
Unfortunately, my health and ongoing treatment don't allow me to do any travelling for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.
However, this won't affect the rental at all. I can make arrangements to have a real estate agency handle everything for me.
I would like to know how many persons you intend to share the flat with, and for how long. Any other details about yourself would be appreciated.
So I guess this is it for now, I hope I didn't forget anything.

Friendly greetings from the UK!

---

Gabriele Emilija
Architect
London, United Kingdom


Seems legit.

Victor

air conditioning

Yeah, sure.

ToxicPaddy

Thought they monitored all adverts on daft? Guess not!!

donalfo

I've seen four or five of these in the last two months.

his is what the actual address looks like. I like the way that the large windows are only visible from the inside, bit of stealth luxury there.

Victor

ToxicPaddy wrote: »

Thought they monitored all adverts on daft? Guess not!!

There is only so much they can do, that's why they have a 'report' button.

donalfo

Victor wrote: »

There is only so much they can do, that's why they have a 'report' button.

Do they? That was my initial question. I couldn't find a 'report' button. i'll have a look again, cheers.

donalfo

found it, I need new specs.

gmisk

donalfo wrote: »

A reply from yesterdays one

Hello,

I just read your e-mail regarding my apartment located in :24 Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1, Ireland. It has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms, 1 kitchen and 1 living room.
I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in Dublin, but now she's back home permanently, so I'm renting it out.
We will not use the place any more, so you can rent it even for a long term.
The flat is fully furnished and renovated, as you could see from the photos.
You can use my furniture, or you can also use your own if you prefer. If you decide to use yours, you can store my furniture in the large basement cellar.
The place is fully equipped with air conditioning, dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, LCD TV, etc.
Also, very important, the utilities (water, electricity,Internet, digital TV,) are included in the rent of 600eur/month.
The security deposit is 600eur, and you will get it back when you will move out (I will need a 30 days notice).
Now, a little bit about myself: My name is Gabriele Emilija wife of Daniel Emilija and I'm a 53 years old retired architect from London/United Kingdom.
I'm a pet owner myself, so I will have no problem if you want to keep a pet in the house, as long as nothing is damaged.
Unfortunately, my health and ongoing treatment don't allow me to do any travelling for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.
However, this won't affect the rental at all. I can make arrangements to have a real estate agency handle everything for me.
I would like to know how many persons you intend to share the flat with, and for how long. Any other details about yourself would be appreciated.
So I guess this is it for now, I hope I didn't forget anything.

Friendly greetings from the UK!

---

Gabriele Emilija
Architect
London, United Kingdom


Seems legit.

My name is Gabriele Emilija wife of Daniel Emilija

Er thats lovely

donalfo

In fairness, Daft.ie are quick to take them down and send an e-mail to you if they see that you have contacted the scammers.
I got another response from yesterdays one, obviously nothing to do with the first:).

Hello,

Thank you reply to the advert placed. I personally own the property located in: 1 Chatham Row, Dublin 2, Ireland, and also want to rent it out , and I'm looking for a responsible person that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at all time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own. Apartment have 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1-kitchen and 1-living room, and the apartment features a range of facilities including washing machine, air conditioning, internet and phone, a car parking. The apartment was renovated in March 2012 and all the utilies are brand new. Also, I have no problem with pets. Minimum rental period is one month and can be extented to how much time do you need to leave there. The apartment is furnished as seen in the photos. The monthly rent is 1000 Euro including bills for hot water, cold water, gas, heat, electricity, cable TV, internet access.
I bought this apartment for me 6 years ago when my company sent me in Dublin to work, but nine months ago my company offer me a 8 years contract in United Kingdom, and now I decide to rent the apartment.

Now, a little about me so that we can get to know each other better. My name is Matilda Isobel and I am a 55 years old and my job is Assistant Finance Manager at Wolverhampton/ United Kingdom ( R&M Tax / Treasury Ltd ). The only inconvenience is that my job does not let me go, even for a single day. But this will not affect at all. I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from UK (at my expense, of course).

Thank`s for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Assistant Finance Manager: Matilda Isobel

Fair play to Matilda, it is a pity that she can't meet me. I'll just post the cash, I'm sure that'll do. Now, I better go, a Nigerian prince wants me to hold a few million Euro for him and I need to go and set up a direct debit.

gmisk

I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from UK (at my expense, of course).

HA HA

she is an "assistant finance manager" who wouldnt want to "leave" in that that house?!?!

thegreatiam

donalfo wrote: »

A reply from yesterdays one

Hello,

I just read your e-mail regarding my apartment located in....etc :

I got the exact same response to a listing on Francis street a few months ago.
Was luxury apartment for €600. On Francis Street!
was clearly too good to be true so sent a response from my spam mail address to see what they would say.
Seems like they want the mark to make a deposit site unseen to a foreign country.

I got a mail from daft to that email inbox a few days later confirming it was a scam.

gaius c

Any way we could hook those landlords up with this tenant?

zef

I kept it going with Ms Isobel, and was offered the apartment, even though she had to take the ad down from daft due to a large demand. But yaay, I got the place! I just have to send her a grand and she will send me the keys.


Dear XXXXXX
I want to inform you that MoneyBookers will hold the money until you will confirm to them that you like the apt and keep the keys. If you don't like it, you only have to return the keys to them after they will refund the money to you and they will deliver the keys back to me on my expense.
I will need to inform you the steps about how this service works and how we can make it happen. You will only have to deposit to MoneyBookers Service the first month of rent -1000euro- so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the keys and the contract.
Like I said, I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain to you step by step how this will work:
1 - To start this transaction i will need to know your full shipping information, full name, full shipping address and phone number to proceed with this deal .
2 - I go to the MoneyBookers Office and leave the Keys and the contract in your name as the intended receiver.
3 - MoneyBookers will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal papers that will come along with the Keys.
4 - MoneyBookers will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the Keys and the papers in their custody, in which you will be told that they have the Keys and that they checked it.
5 - At this point you will have to go to your bank and make a bak wire transfer on the MoneyBookers agent name in United Kingdom assigned with this transaction for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the infos about the money deposit to MoneyBookers (Scanned paper from your bank so I can know that you already made the deposit )
7 - MoneyBookers will verify the payment informations and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you .
8 - After you receive the package, You will go and check the apt and in 2 days you must contact them and tell them if you keep the apt or not, if everything is in order you will instruct MoneyBookers to release the funds to me.
If you don't like the apt they will send your money back and you will send them the keys and the contract to them to return the package back to me on my expense.I will pay MoneyBookers Service for the shipping and you Bank wire transfer for the fees.Now i must know for sure if you agree because here are a lot of peoples interested to have this apartment rented and i want to know for sure what i must tell them. If you agree what i suggested i will tell them that my apartment is already rented and i will keep it for you. If you agree then i must have all the shipping details so i will be able to make all the arrangements for the MoneyBookers delivery.

very Important: Your money will be in safe in MoneyBookers custody.
Thank you for your interest and wait news from you.

gaius c

Another one here:
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1340521
€580 a month for this?



They might have over-egged the pudding on this one.
It's in Barcelona btw.

donalfo

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1340540

This one is coming up as being in Barcelona too. The circular plug sockets give them away (and the price of course). There is a good few coming up every few days.

gaius c

Keep reporting them. If DAFT are smart, they'll start blocking the accounts so it'll cost the scammers money to keep doing this.

jmayo

donalfo wrote: »

A reply from yesterdays one

Hello,

I just read your e-mail regarding my apartment located in :24 Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1, Ireland. It has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathrooms, 1 kitchen and 1 living room.
I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in Dublin, but now she's back home permanently, so I'm renting it out.
We will not use the place any more, so you can rent it even for a long term.
The flat is fully furnished and renovated, as you could see from the photos.
You can use my furniture, or you can also use your own if you prefer. If you decide to use yours, you can store my furniture in the large basement cellar.
The place is fully equipped with air conditioning, dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, LCD TV, etc.
Also, very important, the utilities (water, electricity,Internet, digital TV,) are included in the rent of 600eur/month.
The security deposit is 600eur, and you will get it back when you will move out (I will need a 30 days notice).
Now, a little bit about myself: My name is Gabriele Emilija wife of Daniel Emilija and I'm a 53 years old retired architect from London/United Kingdom.
I'm a pet owner myself, so I will have no problem if you want to keep a pet in the house, as long as nothing is damaged.
Unfortunately, my health and ongoing treatment don't allow me to do any travelling for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.
However, this won't affect the rental at all. I can make arrangements to have a real estate agency handle everything for me.
I would like to know how many persons you intend to share the flat with, and for how long. Any other details about yourself would be appreciated.
So I guess this is it for now, I hope I didn't forget anything.

Friendly greetings from the UK!

---

Gabriele Emilija
Architect
London, United Kingdom


Seems legit.

No it doesn't.
For God's sake how many glaring thigns stand out in this email ?

For a start how many apartment/flat rentals would include all the utilities in thre rental ?
Ehh and why mention Water cost inclusion ?

Also how many people tell you in a business email who they are married to ?
How many middle aged women tell you their age ??????

BTW just seeing how some of these ads include pictures of apartments in Barcelona, does anyone know if someone is running the reverse scam in Barcelone using pictures of apartments/flats in Dublin ?

thegreatiam

jmayo wrote: »

No it doesn't.
For God's sake how many glaring thigns stand out in this email ?

For a start how many apartment/flat rentals would include all the utilities in thre rental ?
Ehh and why mention Water cost inclusion ?

Also how many people tell you in a business email who they are married to ?
How many middle aged women tell you their age ??????

BTW just seeing how some of these ads include pictures of apartments in Barcelona, does anyone know if someone is running the reverse scam in Barcelone using pictures of apartments/flats in Dublin ?

you know "seems legit" is an ironic statement popular with the kids on the internet these days?

As in "your ID says FBI:female body inspector and I should take off all my clothes, seems legit"

But yes, your points are correct, not only is the ad too good to be true, the email 'she' sends is too detailed and too convenient to be realistic.
But it's not just barcelona, ive seen older ones from florida, complete with bay windows and glaring sun claiming to be in dublin city center

jmayo

thegreatiam wrote: »

you know "seems legit" is an ironic statement popular with the kids on the internet these days?

Jaysus how was I to know that.
They need to put one of those sarcasm thingies in there.

Fecking pesky kids again.

thegreatiam wrote: »

As in "your ID says FBI:female body inspector and I should take off all my clothes, seems legit"

You mean they aren't really in the FBI ? :eek:

thegreatiam

jmayo wrote: »

You mean they aren't really in the FBI ? :eek:

well, don't tell everyone, you'll ruin the fun

gaius c

jmayo wrote: »

BTW just seeing how some of these ads include pictures of apartments in Barcelona, does anyone know if someone is running the reverse scam in Barcelone using pictures of apartments/flats in Dublin ?

Absolutely. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to live in Priory Hall?

dtipp

Interesting that DAFT don't seem to be just taking down the advert, they list it as having been Let - I wonder do they count that in their figures
This is a common notice on one of the scam adverts taken down by DAFT

"154 Shannon House, IFSC, Dublin 1, Dublin City Centre
This Property Has Been Let, here are some similar properties in the area."

Daft.ie Support

Hi All,

Sorry for dragging up the thread, but we have received permission from the Moderators to post a response.

In relation to the 'scam' adverts on the Daft.ie website - if you come across one - the best thing to do is use the 'report ad' function on our site. The 'report ad' button is located below the photos on the full advert. Much like the 'report post' function on Boards, it sends an alert to our content team with a link to the advert in question and your reason for reporting it.
We can then investigate the advert and take any appropriate action.

We have a Safety Online page on our site if anyone wishes to view it.

Kind Regards,

The Daft Team

gaius c

Thanks for the update.

odds_on

donalfo wrote: »

I am looking for a place in Dublin for the last month or so. I've noticed these odd lettings that pop up every so often. http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1338073
This one has a great price, but on closer inspection the photographs are from an apartment outside of Ireland, i.e. the electrical sockets are not to Irish regulation. and 24 Abbey street does not look like that from google streetview.

I have seen a few of these in the last while, really good prices for swanky apartments, then they disappear after a few days. Are these the 'phantom landlords' scammers? Can these be reported, and if so, to whom?

You can report an an to daft.ie if you think there is something wrong and they will check it out.
Just click on the "Report this ad" on any daft properties page, whether properties for sale or for rent.

I've reported a few and the ad has either been modified or removed (by whom, I don't know!)

The_Conductor

Air conditioning isn't necessarily a good scam alert- there were over 25,000 residential A/C units installed since 2006- and thats excluding the many DIY installs, such as my own. Air Con is not expensive- you'd have a good residential system up and running and properly installed, for less than a grand.

jmayo

smccarrick wrote: »

Air conditioning isn't necessarily a good scam alert- there were over 25,000 residential A/C units installed since 2006- and thats excluding the many DIY installs, such as my own. Air Con is not expensive- you'd have a good residential system up and running and properly installed, for less than a grand.

Can I ask why the hell do you need air conditioning in an Irish home ?
Ever been to a Spanish, Australian home etc without air con ?

Yet another one of the must have items from the Celtic bubble I guess.

The_Conductor

jmayo wrote: »

Can I ask why the hell do you need air conditioning in an Irish home ?
Ever been to a Spanish, Australian home etc without air con ?

Yet another one of the must have items from the Celtic bubble I guess.

Lots of Irish properties were built with significant glass windows/doors/walls- and many were exceptionally poorly insulated- meaning they get very very hot in the summer, and very damn cold in the winter. Yes- people were throwing money out the door- but electricity cost half what it does now (we've increased our electricity prices 39% since 2007- the highest rate of increase in the EU, and propelling us to the 4th most expensive country for electricity in the EU).

Yes- it was a celtic tiger thing- but it was something we embraced

expectationlost

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?search=Search+%26raquo%3B&s[search_type]=area&s[a_id]=298&s[cc_id]=298&s[c_id]=1&s[ct_id]=1&offset=0&no_index=1&fr=default

24 Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1, Dublin City Centre
This Property Has Been Let, here are some similar properties in the area.

need a bit more variety in the messages, it might help people to point out its a rogue uploader

The_Conductor

expectationlost wrote: »

need a bit more variety in the messages, it might help people to point out its a rogue uploader

Perhaps- a bland 'This property is not available. Here are some similar properties in the area that match your search criterion' or something like that?

silentrust

donalfo wrote: »

do they expect people to post cash deposits before seeing the property?

The one from yesterday is 'let'. I wonder if these show up on Daft.ie reports of rental prices.

I e-mailed the agent for the craic using my spam e-mail account to say that I'm interested in the apartment, just to see what happens.:)

Please do play along, it'll be really interesting to see how it pans out!

The Reverse image search is an excellent idea, as well as naturally making sure you view the property first.

I am letting a room at the moment though and a prospective tenant has offered to talk via Skype as she is living in Italy and coming to Dublin at the end of the month.

She has said if she's happy and we are too, she'll wire me the rent and deposit- her idea, not mine!

I can only assume that with the number of people looking for accommodation in Ireland, some people who live away are willing to pay up front without having seen the place.

Considering how cheap it is to stay at a youth hostel though you would think they'd come and see for themselves!

silentrust

Daft.ie Support wrote: »

Hi All,

Sorry for dragging up the thread, but we have received permission from the Moderators to post a response.

In relation to the 'scam' adverts on the Daft.ie website - if you come across one - the best thing to do is use the 'report ad' function on our site. The 'report ad' button is located below the photos on the full advert. Much like the 'report post' function on Boards, it sends an alert to our content team with a link to the advert in question and your reason for reporting it.
We can then investigate the advert and take any appropriate action.

We have a Safety Online page on our site if anyone wishes to view it.

Kind Regards,

The Daft Team

Personally I would treat with extreme skepticism anyone who wants to be paid by anything other than bank transfer.

If they own the place, surely they must have a mortgage, which in turn implies a bank account? Similarly if yourself legit property management firm, would you really take payments through MoneyBookers?

I wonder if the scam artists are using their own credit card to pay for the ads?