Real Estate Email Scams: If it Sounds To Good To Be True

Selling your own home using the for sale by owner method is a great money saving idea. Unfortunately, as with any medium that allows for email communication there are scammers who will attempt to pray upon your eagerness to sell.

When putting your house up for sale on the internet you need to be aware that not every person who attempts to contact you via email is actually interested in buying your home. Just like your email inbox, you can expect to receive a certain amount of SPAM.

When receiving emails from potential buyers you will need to use your common sense to judge which emails are legitimate and which one’s are obvious phishing scams. Read the letter that one of our customers received below.

Dear xxxx,

Thanks for your email. I have accepted the price of your property. And I will pay for all taxes concerning this property. Right now, I want you to know that I am in a remote area of Turkey with my wife and kid, our life is in danger. So we will be most grateful if you can confidentially help us receive payment for this property, I want all documentation to be in the name of my wife. We are innocent victim of Turkish rule and power play. And we would not hide anything from you; hence I am sending you BBC news concerning our problem. We need your help.

As soon as we hear from you concerning your property, we can then inform you on how to receive payment for the property. Money will not be problem in this transaction and we shall reward you handsomely. This BBC news will explain more about the hatred the government of Turkey , has on our business. Copy the news and paste on your browser, i wont hide anything from you about my person though it is political.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3160767.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3188483.stm

XXXX AND WIFE
XXXX COMMUNICATION LIMITED

Notice the writer of this email attempts to play on emotion to get the home owner to feel for them.

When you receive emails like this you need to ask yourself, if a person is truly interested in the property and was willing to put down $300,000 or more for your home why wouldn’t they at least phone your contact number to arrange a showing?

Why all this trickery in the email regarding their personal situation? Beware overseas customers as well. Would you buy a house you only saw on a website without viewing it? Would you not contact the person by phone to arrange a viewing? Why all this cloak and dagger in what should be a straight forward situation? Do not let your eagerness to sell cloud your rational judgement.

PropertySold.ca Inc. customers have the ability to turn off email contact in the user area of their accounts.

Here is another example email:

Dear Sir,

Hi and congratulations on selling you home. Now if you are interested in a lump sum of money, possibly 75% up to 102% of the price the home was sold for, then your promissary note you possess can be sold also. With what I know I can possibly get have you having the money within 3 weeks. (A Promissary note is which states a property or value is contractually binding by law to be if in need submittal as evidence, for the exchange so designated by the persons trading ownership of the property or value.)
If you are interested please email me at xxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.com

Happy New Year.

This person didn’t even provide their name. Then they go on about a promissary note which sounds like a clear scam. Again, this person is from overseas trying to confuse the seller. This guy is not for real.

If you ever receive emails like the one’s above please contact PropertySold.ca Inc. using the Customer Service link within your member’s area.

Remember, if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Beware overseas email contacts especially if they are asking you to do something you are not comfortable with and do not supply any contact information other than an email address. Almost all real estate transactions involve telephone contact.

Ask these “buyers” to call you in which case you will more easily be able to determine their true intent.