George Laurence, apartment rental fraud

[EmilyAnn]

I just got the same email about an apartment in Chicago. Here is what it said:

Greetings!

Thank you very much for your enquiry. My name is George Laurence I own the apartment located at 200 West Grand Avenue #605, Chicago IL.The rent is $600 Per Month all Utilities included. I inherited the property from my late parent who died in a ghastly accident last year. I was also involved in the accident too; hence I lost my legs so I’m in a wheelchair. Presently I’m in a missionary school in West Africa and my wife just joined me here,I need an occupant for the apartment ASAP...
Let me tell you a little about me. I’m the only child of my late parent, I love to serve God and that is way I’m in missionary school presently in West Africa .Initially, I planned to sell out the apartment, but I changed my mind when I found out that the agent is inflating the prize hence making it very difficult to sell. More over my wife is very much in love with the apartment, she prefer us to rent it instead of selling. I need a very responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of the apartment and live there like it’s his or her own. As you know I’m in a wheelchair now and the renting of my apartment is the only way I can assist myself and my wife. I will be in the States by October, when I come I will schedule a meeting with you. I hope that by then you would have settled down as my tenant.
If you are willing to rent from me then go ahead and fill out the rental Application form below.

(1) Your Full Name:
(2) Your Full Address & Phone Number
(3) Occupation:
(4) Marital status:
(5) Rental Payment plan ranging from 1 month, 3 months or 6 months or 1 year...(indicate most convenient option)
(6) Duration of rent:
(7) Age:
When my wife was coming to join me here in West Africa she came with the apartment keys and documents, Once I receive a feedback from you I will make arrangement for the keys and documents including an Authorization letter to be shipped to your designated address . I will need you to give me a call so that we can sort this out.My cell phone line is 0112347068586390 if you are dialing from a land line or +2347068586390 if you are dialing from a cell phone.
God bless you abundantly.
George Laurence.



Watch out!

[Leery Researcher]

Another:

Greetings!

Thank you very much for your enquiry. My name is George Laurence I own the apartment located at 110 North 3rd Street #211, Columbus OH 43215. The rent is $600 Per Month all Utilities included. I inherited the property from my late parent who died in a ghastly accident last year. I was also involved in the accident too; hence I lost my legs so I’m in a wheelchair. Presently I’m in a missionary school in West Africa and my wife just joined me here,I need an occupant for the apartment ASAP...
Let me tell you a little about me. I’m the only child of my late parent, I love to serve God and that is way I’m in missionary school presently in West Africa .Initially, I planned to sell out the apartment, but I changed my mind when I found out that the agent is inflating the prize hence making it very difficult to sell. More over my wife is very much in love with the apartment, she prefer us to rent it instead of selling. I need a very responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of the apartment and live there like it’s his or her own. As you know I’m in a wheelchair now and the renting of my apartment is the only way I can assist myself and my wife.. I will be in the States by October, when I come I will schedule a meeting with you. I hope that by then you would have settled down as my tenant.
If you are willing to rent from me then go ahead and fill out the rental Application form below.

(1) Your Full Name:
(2) Your Full Address & Phone Number
(3) Occupation:
(4) Marital status:
(5) Rental Payment plan ranging from 1 month, 3 months or 6 months or 1 year...(indicate most convenient option)
(6) Duration of rent:
(7) Age:

When my wife was coming to join me here in West Africa she came with the apartment keys and documents, Once I receive a feedback from you I will make arrangement for the keys and documents including an Authorization letter to be shipped to your designated address . I will need you to give me a call so that we can sort this out.My cell phone line is 0112347068586390 if you are dialing from a land line or +2347068586390 if you are dialing from a cell phone.

God bless you abundantly.
George Laurence.


God bless indeed. Asshole.

[AtlantaGA]

I just recieved this message from him last night....

Greetings!

Thank you very much for your enquiry. My name is George Laurence I own the apartment located at 3338 Peachtree Road Northeast, Atlanta GA 30326.The rent is $600 Per Month all Utilities included. I inherited the property from my late parent who died in a ghastly accident last year. I was also involved in the accident too; hence I lost my legs so I’m in a wheelchair. Presently I’m in a missionary school in West Africa and my wife just joined me here,I need an occupant for the apartment ASAP...
Let me tell you a little about me. I’m the only child of my late parent, I love to serve God and that is way I’m in missionary school presently in West Africa .Initially, I planned to sell out the apartment, but I changed my mind when I found out that the agent is inflating the prize hence making it very difficult to sell. More over my wife is very much in love with the apartment, she prefer us to rent it instead of selling. I need a very responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of the apartment and live there like it’s his or her own. As you know I’m in a wheelchair now and the renting of my apartment is the only way I can assist myself and my wife. I will be in the States by October, when I come I will schedule a meeting with you. I hope that by then you would have settled down as my tenant.
If you are willing to rent from me then go ahead and fill out the rental Application form below.

(1) Your Full Name:
(2) Your Full Address & Phone Number
(3) Occupation:
(4) Marital status:
(5) Rental Payment plan ranging from 1 month, 3 months or 6 months or 1 year...(indicate most convenient option)
(6) Duration of rent:
(7) Age:
When my wife was coming to join me here in West Africa she came with the apartment keys and documents, Once I receive a feedback from you I will make arrangement for the keys and documents including an Authorization letter to be shipped to your designated address . I will need you to give me a call so that we can sort this out.My cell phone line is 0112347068586390 if you are dialing from a land line or +2347068586390 if you are dialing from a cell phone.
God bless you abundantly.
George Laurence.

[ninag23]

Got the same email from a "George Laurence" after writing to the following craigslist post:

$600 / 1br - Check out this beauty! ( Boston)
Date: 2009-08-07, 8:31PM EDT
Reply to: [cityofpeace04@yahoo.com] [Errors when replying to ads?]

Lovely 1 bedroom in the heart of Cleveland Circle. Near Brookline line. Features a large sun filled living room, spacious bedroom, updated eat in kitchen, a renovated bathroom, lots of closet space, gleaming hardwood floors and high ceilings. Close to Boston College. Steps to 3 different trains. Enjoy walking around the beautiful reservoir and being able to walk to restaurants and shops.

1872 Commonwealth Ave, (google map) (yahoo map)

----------

We emailed him further to see if it was a total fraud and here was the next part of his emails:
This is to inform you that we are happy to know that you are very interested in renting our apartment and that you are a responsible person,that indeed is good to hear.I told my wife about you and she is very excited and keen to hear from you.I made her know that you are a very responsible person and she is completely disposed to giving the apartment out to you.We would like to send the keys to the apartment and some documents to you via UPS express delivery,so that you can go and inspect the apartment.As soon as the keys and documents are shipped to you we will give you the UPS tracking code so that you can monitor the movement of the package online and be able to sign for it when it arrive. The apartment had just been renovated with security access system installed before we left the state.We are giving you this based on trust and we hope that you will not let us down.Obviously you will love the apartment as it is cozy and well taken care of.All utilities have been taken care of in the rent and the water,electricity,heating and internet systems are in good working condition so you do not need to spend any extra money to move in.The lease period will completely depend on you it will either be a month to month or a year to year arrangement.There is a parking facility in the building.Some of the furnitures have been moved into the store room under lock and key, if you need to make use of the furnitures feel free to replace them into the living room and make use of it.We would probably use my Chase account in New York to facilitate the rental transaction.


The reason for shipping the keys to you is to ensure that you have a clear and unbiased view of the apartment,make a good decision before making any serious commitment,since you will be going to the apartment unaccompanied i will also send you a signed letter of authority authorizing you to go into the apartment for viewing in my absence,this is to avoid any form of embarrassment when you go into the apartment from any body..
You will have to make a deposit of $200 which is refundable. Once you have the keys & document and you dont like the aparment i will refund your deposit. I will ship you the keys & documents via United parcel service(UPS) (which will take a minimum 0f two days and a maximum of 4 days to get to you).

Because we cant just keep shipping the keys and documents back and forth , we have decided to ship keys and documentation to you once you agree to pay the Deposit which is refundable.Kindly email back with the reconfirmation of the address where keys and documentation will be shipped to.

As soon as your address is received I will go ahead and send you the payment information to have the security deposit sent and have the keys and document shipped to you immediately payment is confirmed. ...Why the arrangement is like this is because of the fact that we have had a student who wanted to rent the apartment and when I wanted to ship the keys, on getting to the UPS office.. I called her cell phone for final confirmation of the address she gave me only for her to tell me that she had found another apartment and paid a day before...without notifying me.Do get back to me so that we can make arrangement on the payment procedure and when to make the shipment.More so, after viewing the apartment, if you do not like it, we will be responsible for shipping the keys back to us.Listed below are the content of the package:
1)Entrance Key card and the rooms Keys.
2)Certificate of occupancy.
3)The house documentary file.
4)Rental contract form.
5)A letter of authority authorizing you to go in and view the apartment in my absence.
6)Rent application form.
7)The apartment security access code.
8)Deed/proof of ownership.
Feel free to give me a call on 0112347068586390 or +2347068586390 if you need more clarification.The best time to contact me is in the morning American time.

Regards,
George Laurence.

----

I checked the property and condo apartment in the photos is on the market.

MAN, I HATE FRAUD!

[chotock]

I fell into it in Kansas City, MO. Same email as above only the address is 2942 Cherry and he is going by George Laurence. I am really disturbed by the fact he posted pictures of the actual property, hence why I wasn't overly cautious. How did he get pictures of the unit, that's a bit scary.

edited to add, I found the sale listing finally, gotta love google you know

[Atlanta Also]

I got the same message from him as well. Its sad that the world has come to this. I am glad my friend was smarter than me and looked into this before I jumped in hook line and sinker.

[Seabass]

This is another one I got on Aug. 15th, 2009.

Greetings!

Thank you very much for your enquiry. My name is George Laurence I own the apartment located at 400 N Clinton St #209, Chicago IL 60654 .The rent is $600 Per Month all Utilities included. I inherited the property from my late parent who died in a ghastly accident last year. I was also involved in the accident too; hence I lost my legs so I’m in a wheelchair. Presently I’m in a missionary school in West Africa and my wife just joined me here,I need an occupant for the apartment ASAP....

Let me tell you a little about me. I’m the only child of my late parent, I love to serve God and that is way I’m in missionary school presently in West Africa .Initially, I planned to sell out the apartment, but I changed my mind when I found out that the agent is inflating the prize hence making it very difficult to sell. More over my wife is very much in love with the apartment, she prefer us to rent it instead of selling. I need a very responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of the apartment and live there like it’s his or her own. As you know I’m in a wheelchair now and the renting of my apartment is the only way I can assist myself and my wife. I will be in the States by October, when I come I will schedule a meeting with you. I hope that by then you would have settled down as my tenant.
If you are willing to rent from me then go ahead and fill out the rental Application form below.

(1) Your Full Name:
(2) Your Full Address & Phone Number
(3) Occupation:
(4) Marital status:
(5) Rental Payment plan ranging from 1 month, 3 months or 6 months or 1 year...(indicate most convenient option)
(6) Duration of rent:
(7) Age:

When my wife was coming to join me here in West Africa she came with the apartment keys and documents, Once I receive a feedback from you I will make arrangement for the keys and documents including an Authorization letter to be shipped to your designated address . I will need you to give me a call so that we can sort this out.My cell phone line is 0112347068586390 if you are dialing from a land line or +2347068586390 if you are dialing from a cell phone.
God bless you abundantly.
George Laurence.

[bos09]

I received the same email for an apt in Boston. I thought it was too good to be true because of the price for the location. I emailed him and he sent me the same email bout Africa and him in a wheel chair etc. I didnt even reply because if you are in AFR, how am I supposed to get a look at the apt? I figure I would check the email and battybing, it came up. So needless to say, I am glad I didnt bother. If it sounds to good to be true than chances are it is. Becareful out there ladies and gents because w/ the recession we are in, everyone is trying to make a quick buck even if its deceiftul.

Email I got:Greetings!

Thank you very much for your enquiry. My name is George Laurence I own the apartment located at 1872 Commonwealth Ave #12A, Boston MA 02135 .The rent is $600 Per Month all Utilities included. I inherited the property from my late parent who died in a ghastly accident last year. I was also involved in the accident too; hence I lost my legs so I’m in a wheelchair. Presently I’m in a missionary school in West Africa and my wife just joined me here,I need an occupant for the apartment ASAP...

Let me tell you a little about me. I’m the only child of my late parent, I love to serve God and that is way I’m in missionary school presently in West Africa .Initially, I planned to sell out the apartment, but I changed my mind when I found out that the agent is inflating the prize hence making it very difficult to sell. More over my wife is very much in love with the apartment, she prefer us to rent it instead of selling. I need a very responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of the apartment and live there like it’s his or her own. As you know I’m in a wheelchair now and the renting of my apartment is the only way I can assist myself and my wife. I will be in the States by October, when I come I will schedule a meeting with you. I hope that by then you would have settled down as my tenant.
If you are willing to rent from me then go ahead and fill out the rental Application form below.

(1) Your Full Name:
(2) Your Full Address & Phone Number
(3) Occupation:
(4) Marital status:
(5) Rental Payment plan ranging from 1 month, 3 months or 6 months or 1 year...(indicate most convenient option)
(6) Duration of rent:
(7) Age:

When my wife was coming to join me here in West Africa she came with the apartment keys and documents, Once I receive a feedback from you I will make arrangement for the keys and documents including an Authorization letter to be shipped to your designated address . I will need you to give me a call so that we can sort this out.My cell phone line is 0112347068586390 if you are dialing from a land line or +2347068586390 if you are dialing from a cell phone.
God bless you abundantly.
George Laurence.

[pissed]

I just got this email reply to an add i saw in Portland Oregon...
said the exact same thing. I was quick to google the name and was able to stop the western union in time to get my 200.00 dollars back. I totaly appreciate your input.

[Spanish Administrator]

You're welcome. We wish everyone was that lucky.