ᐅ Attempted Fraud in Land Purchase – Have You Experienced This?
Created on: 13 Mar 2016 00:24
D
DReffects
Hello!
I am planning to buy a plot of land in a municipality. The following people know about this:
- me^^
- my parents
- my partner
- the municipality
- the notary
Now I have received a very detailed email in German and English from a woman abroad claiming to be the previous owner of the property I am acquiring from the municipality. As proof, she sent her identity card and several photos of the property.
The first step in this scheme is that I am supposed to send a copy of my identity card.
My question:
Does this sound familiar to you? If so, where could the scammer have obtained such detailed information?
Thanks & best regards
I am planning to buy a plot of land in a municipality. The following people know about this:
- me^^
- my parents
- my partner
- the municipality
- the notary
Now I have received a very detailed email in German and English from a woman abroad claiming to be the previous owner of the property I am acquiring from the municipality. As proof, she sent her identity card and several photos of the property.
The first step in this scheme is that I am supposed to send a copy of my identity card.
My question:
Does this sound familiar to you? If so, where could the scammer have obtained such detailed information?
Thanks & best regards
Let’s be honest, the investigative options in this case are very limited. The regular case officers within the criminal police simply lack the technical expertise. Nevertheless, filing a report is not harmful. At the state criminal police office (LKA) and the federal criminal police office (BKA), the situation is different. They may be able to draw conclusions, which then fit into a larger mosaic. Don’t give up right away. Small efforts also count. That said, I can fully understand the tendency not to report and the frustration with police clearance rates in such a crime environment. But nothing will improve if the typical non-reporting continues.
Let’s be honest, I work for this company. And yes, @Bamue89 made a good point.
Regarding the idea that reporting is not harmful: it is necessary to even understand if action is required. In Lower Saxony, there is officially a new department that deals exclusively with IT crime. However, this wouldn’t exist if everyone just stayed at home and the pressure to act wasn’t significant enough.
Regarding the idea that reporting is not harmful: it is necessary to even understand if action is required. In Lower Saxony, there is officially a new department that deals exclusively with IT crime. However, this wouldn’t exist if everyone just stayed at home and the pressure to act wasn’t significant enough.
tomtom79 schrieb:
Links are prohibited! However, there is a private message feature, which is called conversation. Thanks for the information, but the rules only mention advertising in relation to links.
ypg schrieb:
Let’s be honest, I work at this company. And yes, @Bamue89 made a valid point.
Regarding the idea that reporting is not harmful: it is necessary in order to understand if action is needed at all. In Lower Saxony, there is now an official new field of work that deals exclusively with cybercrime. This wouldn’t exist if everyone just stayed at home and the pressure to act was apparently not strong enough.
Thanks for the info. I assumed there was a centralized investigative team handling new legal fields and taking appropriate measures, not the other way around. I will forward the documents.
K
karibik-nana10 Oct 2016 17:17I also received a strange fraud email:
Hello again, sorry for my late reply. I will write this email in English because my German is not very good. I will also try to provide a summary in German below. The property is available for sale. I have been the sole owner and purchased it with cash a few years ago while I was living in Germany, where I worked as a civil engineer. For about one year, I have permanently moved abroad (United Kingdom) with my entire family, and I no longer need the mentioned property because both my children attend school here. I also run a construction business and will most likely only return to Germany on holiday.
Because I do not have much time to handle selling this property, showings with potential clients, etc., my husband (an English citizen working in the same field as I do) and I have decided to hire an international real estate agency (headquartered in London, United Kingdom) that will manage the entire purchase agreement process. I have already signed an exclusivity contract with them, as this is the third property to be sold with their assistance. All the original documents are held by them, along with the keys to the property. The agency’s commission is fully paid by us, and you will only be responsible for the notary fees if you agree to purchase the property (of course, after viewing it). The property can be reserved in your name for a private visit. An international agent will conduct the viewing and will have all the original documents so you can verify them before making a decision. Please let me know how you intend to purchase the property. Can you pay cash, or do you require financing? To contact the agency, I need a copy of the ID (or passport) of the potential buyer(s). I have already attached mine. After receiving the document, I will contact the company, and an agent will provide you with all the necessary details to arrange a private visit to the property. Thank you for your interest. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Because I do not have enough time to deal with selling this property, visits with potential clients, etc., my husband (an English citizen working in the same field as I do) and I decided to hire an international real estate agency (based in London, UK) to manage the entire purchase agreement process. I have already signed an exclusivity contract with them, as this is the third property sold with their assistance. All original documents are kept in their custody along with the keys to the property. The agency’s commission is fully paid by us, and you will only pay for the notary documents if you agree to purchase the property (after viewing, of course).
The property can be reserved in your name for a private visit, which will be conducted by an international agent who will have all the original documents so you can check them before making a decision.
Please tell me how you intend to buy the property. Can you pay cash, or do you require financing?
To contact the agency, I need a copy of the ID card (or passport) of the potential buyer. I have already attached mine.
After receiving the document, I will contact the company, and an agent will provide you with all the required information to schedule a private visit to the property.
Hello again, sorry for my late reply. I will write this email in English because my German is not very good. I will also try to provide a summary in German below. The property is available for sale. I have been the sole owner and purchased it with cash a few years ago while I was living in Germany, where I worked as a civil engineer. For about one year, I have permanently moved abroad (United Kingdom) with my entire family, and I no longer need the mentioned property because both my children attend school here. I also run a construction business and will most likely only return to Germany on holiday.
Because I do not have much time to handle selling this property, showings with potential clients, etc., my husband (an English citizen working in the same field as I do) and I have decided to hire an international real estate agency (headquartered in London, United Kingdom) that will manage the entire purchase agreement process. I have already signed an exclusivity contract with them, as this is the third property to be sold with their assistance. All the original documents are held by them, along with the keys to the property. The agency’s commission is fully paid by us, and you will only be responsible for the notary fees if you agree to purchase the property (of course, after viewing it). The property can be reserved in your name for a private visit. An international agent will conduct the viewing and will have all the original documents so you can verify them before making a decision. Please let me know how you intend to purchase the property. Can you pay cash, or do you require financing? To contact the agency, I need a copy of the ID (or passport) of the potential buyer(s). I have already attached mine. After receiving the document, I will contact the company, and an agent will provide you with all the necessary details to arrange a private visit to the property. Thank you for your interest. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
- Summary in German.
Because I do not have enough time to deal with selling this property, visits with potential clients, etc., my husband (an English citizen working in the same field as I do) and I decided to hire an international real estate agency (based in London, UK) to manage the entire purchase agreement process. I have already signed an exclusivity contract with them, as this is the third property sold with their assistance. All original documents are kept in their custody along with the keys to the property. The agency’s commission is fully paid by us, and you will only pay for the notary documents if you agree to purchase the property (after viewing, of course).
The property can be reserved in your name for a private visit, which will be conducted by an international agent who will have all the original documents so you can check them before making a decision.
Please tell me how you intend to buy the property. Can you pay cash, or do you require financing?
To contact the agency, I need a copy of the ID card (or passport) of the potential buyer. I have already attached mine.
After receiving the document, I will contact the company, and an agent will provide you with all the required information to schedule a private visit to the property.
Such emails go straight to my spam folder as soon as I read the first sentence.
They are spam, nothing else.
I could have inherited millions in Spain three times by now and landed several lucrative side jobs if I responded to these messages. But of course, some people want to be baited. By the way, in this case, they’re after the BPA data to use it for fraud. However, anyone foolish enough to share this information shouldn’t be surprised if third parties suddenly send demands for four-figure amounts.
Best regards
They are spam, nothing else.
I could have inherited millions in Spain three times by now and landed several lucrative side jobs if I responded to these messages. But of course, some people want to be baited. By the way, in this case, they’re after the BPA data to use it for fraud. However, anyone foolish enough to share this information shouldn’t be surprised if third parties suddenly send demands for four-figure amounts.
Best regards