From: [email protected]

Hello,
So much sorry for the late response. I am Sabina Winslet, 29 year old, a british born and grew up in eastern London, United Kingdom. I do research work and also a microbiologist as a profession.I presently work for Solidarites - International Humanitarian Aid Organisation under the inspect of the W.H.O, as a microbiologist/Researcher.I will rather say i do more of humanitarian work that is out of my real profession and i just finished a project here in africa for the treatments of drinking water and to educate most villagers, to have a good standard of living health wisely. The project was initiated by W.H.O in conjuction with Solidarites - International Humanitarian Aid Organisation and i lead the troop to actualise the conclusion of the project yesterday.My next appointment is United State and will have to move in on the 1st of April 2009.I had to surf the web and get a room urgently so that i can be able to move in.I have some things to bring in such as my laptop computer, plasma tv, bedroom furnitures and my Jetta Car, i wouldnt know if there will be space for this things and some of my antiques which i cherish alot.
People say i am friendly, i love kids, laid back, dont go out at nights, love reading novels and listening to the CNN news.I will be spending over 12 months there and my supervisor will come in to visit once in a while to ask about my duties there to me. A letter of appointment will be sent to me on where i will start working over there by my supervisor when i get over and will probably be working in hospitals or school.I am okay with the move in cost and will appreciate if you can please tell me more about you also will appreciate if you can email me the picture of the room. Thanks and waitting to hear back from you, i will email you with my picture in my next email.
Thanks


This is a reply to an initial communication about a Room to Let in the US.

The most striking thing to myself is that no British-born and raised person would be likely to write like this, with so many grammatical errors - but I am British-born and British-educated, so that is easy for me to spot. A recipient of this sort of letter, however, may have English as their second or third language only, and not notice this. But there are still a few things that are clues that all is not right:

1. Why so much emphasis on what 'she' is doing now?

If I needed to move, due to taking up a new position, I might tell my prospective landperson about the new job I am going to do - but I wouldn't want to tell them all about the one that I am now finishing! The scammer, however, doesn't really know what sort of jobs one might do in the US. So wants to talk about working in Africa - a country they are probably very familiar with (and were born there), and one that, they hope, you don't know much about.

2. Is their new job realistic?

Their 'best guess' is that it would be believable that they would be doing 'humanitarian work' in hospitals and schools in America. But do hospitals and schools in the US need World Health Organisation humanitarian aid?

3. Are their needs realistic?

The scammer, probably West African (though the Gmail address hides where they are writing from), obviously believes that no British or American person would go anywhere without bringing along their plasma screen TV, furniture, antiques, and car. But is it really likely that they have taken all this from the UK, to Africa? And now they want to transport it all to the States? For what sounds like a temporary stay of about a year?

4. Do they understand the culture of their alleged nationality, and do they have that nationality's knowledge of where they are going?

For example: 'I don't go out at nights'. Is that a realistic thing for a British person to say? Or to believe that this is what an American wants to hear? I'm not familiar with American culture, but as a British person, I presume that it is normal for people of all ages to go out at nights to restaurants and bars, the gym, hobby clubs, children to their clubs and societies, church groups, visiting each other, many things.

5. Why do they want to know 'more about you'?

I can think of lots of specific questions I might like to ask if I was renting a room: household rules that I would need to keep, arrangements for telephone bills, can I use the outdoor facilities, tell me about the laundry arrangements. Some of my questions, if I was planning to move to the States, might even seem a little odd or unnecessary to the American landperson, because of differences in different countries' rental arrangements. But I wouldn't ask to be told 'more about you'.

The scammer, however, probably hopes to learn more about your (perceived) wealth - and also to 'build a relationship' of trust between you.

Because, then, you are more likely to do what they want. And it is your money they want, not your room to rent.

Don't be scammed: read responses to your adverts very very carefully.