- Joined
- Jul 22, 2006
I don't know if this scam has been discussed on here yet, but wanted to share something my parents just went through.
They advertised a week of their Marriott Timeshare for rent on several online sites. After a while of thinking they weren't going to get an offer at the price they were asking, they finally got an inquiry. It was from a group of Nigerian businessmen who wanted to use the Williamsburg timeshare as a place to stay while conducting business in Norfolk.
They thought this was strange, and communicated back to the perspective renter that this would be an hour commute.
They became more suspicious when the renter told them he couldn't mail the payment, he needed to have their actual address to Fed-Ex it. They were uncomfortable sending this, but did.
When the Fed-Ex package arrived, it didn't have the certified check or money order required, but rather a stack of traveler's checks. The checks were for much more than the amount of the rental, and there was a note asking my parents to send the "difference" to an address they indicated was their travel agent, who would use the money to arrange the rest of their travel.
This is when the alarm bells really began to ring. My parents know someone from church who is an FBI agent, and they asked her for advise. She told them to contact American Express.
Sure enough, the travelers checks were forgeries. American Express was aware of the scam, and asked my parents to "VOID" the checks and mail them to their fraud department.
So, I guess it all comes down to -- if anything with a rental transaction makes you feel uncomfortable, don't ignore the little voice in your head.
Edit: Sorry, I thought I was posting this in the rentals section. Could a mod please move it.
They advertised a week of their Marriott Timeshare for rent on several online sites. After a while of thinking they weren't going to get an offer at the price they were asking, they finally got an inquiry. It was from a group of Nigerian businessmen who wanted to use the Williamsburg timeshare as a place to stay while conducting business in Norfolk.
They thought this was strange, and communicated back to the perspective renter that this would be an hour commute.
They became more suspicious when the renter told them he couldn't mail the payment, he needed to have their actual address to Fed-Ex it. They were uncomfortable sending this, but did.
When the Fed-Ex package arrived, it didn't have the certified check or money order required, but rather a stack of traveler's checks. The checks were for much more than the amount of the rental, and there was a note asking my parents to send the "difference" to an address they indicated was their travel agent, who would use the money to arrange the rest of their travel.
This is when the alarm bells really began to ring. My parents know someone from church who is an FBI agent, and they asked her for advise. She told them to contact American Express.
Sure enough, the travelers checks were forgeries. American Express was aware of the scam, and asked my parents to "VOID" the checks and mail them to their fraud department.
So, I guess it all comes down to -- if anything with a rental transaction makes you feel uncomfortable, don't ignore the little voice in your head.
Edit: Sorry, I thought I was posting this in the rentals section. Could a mod please move it.
