Scam Tip Report #8446 - Fake vacation rentals Gim Velcu rentals vacation holidays rentalscondo@hotmail.com
| Scam Reporter | Scam Tips Received
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| Anonymous
Kristiansand, Agder, Norway
2013-03-04 08:10:48
Rental Scam
|  +4 Fake vacation rentals Gim Velcu rentals vacation holidays rentalscondo@hotmail.com This company offers FAKE vacation rentals to condo\'s in various communities.
The one I am aware of, an apartment in New York. The price was \"too good to be true\" and they offered free shuttle to and from the airport. They were going to have us wire-transfer more than a thousand dollars to them in the UK to a man named \"GIM VELCU\" whom we now know as Paul Trestovo, then arrive at the airport, then stand there waiting for hours for a car service that would never arrive.
We wanted to research more beacuse he didn\'t offer HomeAway Payments, PayPal or credit cards.
When you google Rental vacation holiday, you won\'t find the fake website.
They don\'t answer emails or phone calls once you have found them out so don\'t waste your time.
Alternate websites: www.bookvacationholidays.com, therentalcompany.co.uk, bookhomerentals.com, prorentals.com, smartluxuryrentals.com, bestrentalmanager.com, rentalsvacationholidays.com, ProSmartRentals.com,
Alternate email addresses: bookhomerentals@gmail.com, inquiries@bookhomerentals.com, jana.van.geetova@tiscali.cz, prosmartrentals@hotmail.com, rentalsvacationholidays@hotmail.com
Alternaate names: Otto Velcu, Gim Velcu, Antonio Pirel, Peter Trestovo, Dianne B Kelly, Anne L Warnock, Serena Patterson, Dawn Ferguson, Sarah Dalzell. |
Follow Ups/Extra Information. Most recent is listed first.
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2013-11-19 21:23:06 |
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They responded to a homeway property inquiry and pointed to this website and its properties. They offered 30% off with airport transportation. They sent a rental contract asking me to transfer all the cost upfront to their account. They refused to accept credit card, pay pal, or in person payment. They also refused to give the property exact address prior to payment. Searching by their property address on their website discovered this scamdex site.
Scam EmailThe money transfer instructions they sent
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Receiver: Receiver address: Sort Code: Account #: SWIFT/BIC:
IBAN:
Bank Name:
Bank Address:
Frederic Orleanu
Flat 3 Central Heights, Manhattan Avenue, Watford, WD18 7AG, United Kingdom 209179
53372340
BARCGB22
GB89 BARC 2091 7953 3723 40
Barclays Bank
451 St Albans Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD24 7RZ, United Kingdom
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1. They don\'t give the specific property address on the website and also in the emails. Details to be given only after the payment.
2. The website still has positive comments about Gim.
3. The website has an id to lookup against UK tax records. The record doesn\'t mention this company\'s name. They seem to have stolen the identity of the building owner.
4. I asked to pay only through credit card, pay pal, or in person. Here is the reply:
QUOTE
About the payment for transactions that involve more than 500$ we only use our bank account. This is the only way we can proceed, so, if you feel in any way that this is a problem I will have to cancel the contract. You must know that your payment is 100% refundable.
I will wait your reply. Let me know if everything is clear.
QUOTE
Thank you Scamdex for tracking this scammer. I would have transferred money otherwise :)

| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2013-05-06 16:53:58 |
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I got an e-mail from this fellow after inquiring about a vacation rental.
| Adam Moir (Perth, Western Australia, Australia) Added the following extra information on :2013-04-17 14:43:57 |
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We paid $1,400 for a villa in Bali, we had to pay the full amount up front. It seemed too good to be true and it was. We enquired about a villa on Trip Adviser and received an email the next day from Antonio. Because it came the day after an enquiry on Trip Adviser we thought it was above board but now one week out from our holiday we find we've been scammed.
| Anonymous () Added the following extra information on :2013-04-02 18:24:26 |
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These "companies" are fake!! They have stolen the pictures of a property we happened to find from Home Away web pages, and try to get your money by making a special offer (30%) of this luxury villa, also including airport transport (they can't give you the adress of the villa since it does not exist; in the map on their site it is placed in place where there is no house at all). We were looking for a holiday apartment in Alanya, Turkey, and got this special-offer e-mail after going to Home Away and Trip Advisor. These fake companies have a system there to find out what people are searching. We were first delighted but then became suspicious since the offer sounded too good to be true. We became even more sceptic when we noticed that nobody seemed to know this companies in Trip Advisor. Then I happened to find the same villa on Home Away sites. We informed the owner of villa, and he turned it to the police.
