My wife was scammed by the same guy on a condo at Okemo in Ludlow VT. Listing originated on Craigslist as well.  On Rental Agreement, Jeff Holmes was listed as the Property Manager but the rental originated from KevinMulliganrentals@hotmail.com.  She and our kids actually drove to the property address provided in VT from NYC.  Thankfully PayPal was used and they froze the Sellers account. Our money should be reimbursed in 10 days.  Wife is now scrambling to find alternate lodging for tonight and tomorrow at Okemo.  Hoping the cops finally catch these rip off artists.

The internet is AWESOME.  I nearly got scammed by this jack*** myself, because I was rushing to book a vacation in Vail thru VRBO.  Money was to be wired to Dr Estancier Milligan.  That name came up on this thread of this criminal's past fraud attempts.  Plus, many grammar and typo errors in the response.  He used this number 970.788.7980.  Hope he can be tracked down and prosecuted.

He's lurking in New Orleans with a Bourbon Street property.  Going by the name of Max Jefferson (maxrentals@hotmail)  BEWARE!  SCAMMER!!

Jeffrey Holmes continues to run scams (january 29 2014 listing here on Craigslit)
http://burlington.craigslist.org/vac/4281337215.html

He's using fictitious owner names, sending out "Booking Agreements" and wire instruction for you to send $$ to him, but it's all a scam. BEWARE

Wonder how long this guy thinks he can get away with this stuff.  Fraud across state lines is what we used to call wire fraud.  It's still a crime.  This guy tries to fraudulently rent out property all across the country.

Hello Christine,
Thank you for your patronage,we do have availability for your dates,the house is located at 212 East Mountain Road #B7, Killington VT 05751 USA,we charge $200 per night,it's one of the best you can get around here,to hold your dates you are to pay 50% of the total rental fee plus refundable security fee of $200 that will be returned to you at your departure if there is no damage at d end of your stay and the balance of the rental fee paid upon your arrival,discount applies from customer's with 7 days stay and above, all Taxes , Bills , Car park Bills has been handled ,please check below for  details and the price quotes,

No of ROOMs ; # 3

NO OF BEDS ; # 5

NO OF BATHS ; # 4

CAR PARK SPACE; # 2


                                              PRICE QUOTE'S

3 NIGHT = $600 . %50 DEPOSIT = $300 . SECURITY FEE = $200 . DISCOUNT = $50

DEPOSIT PAYMENT = $500

BALANCE UPON ARRIVAL = $250

All you have to do to hold your date is to pay a 50% of the total rental fee, plus the Refundable Security Fee which is $200. which will be given back to you at departure if nothing is damaged during your stay, Once you have made the payment I will issue you a receipt confirming your payments. our cleaners would come at intervals under your request to clean and attend to your needs. .I will send you our Terms, Condition, booking form and agreement as soon I have your reply to know you are interested in booking

Regards
Max




http://burlington.craigslist.org/vac/4288497121.html


*AFFORDABL?E KILLINGTON Ski 3BR/4BA, Hot tub, Fireplace , sleep10, WiFi



SCAM!

Same message for a property in Government Camp, OR

Thank you  for your patronage,we do have availability for your dates,its house located at 87267 East Government Camp Loop, Government Camp OR , 97028 USA , we charge $200 per night,it's one of the best you can get around here,to hold your dates you are to pay 50% of the total rental fee plus refundable security fee of $200 that will be returned to you at your departure if nothing is damaged during your stay , the balance of the rental fee paid upon your arrival,discount applies from customer's with 7 days stay and above, all Taxes , Bills , Car park Bills has been handled ,please check below for  details and the price quotes.

No of ROOMs ; # 3

NO OF BEDS ; # 5

NO OF BATHS ; # 4

CAR PARK SPACE; # 2

                                              PRICE QUOTE'S
 3 NIGHTS = $600 . %50 DEPOSIT = $300 . SECURITY FEE = $200 . DISCOUNT = $50

DEPOSIT PAYMENT = $500

BALANCE UPON ARRIVAL = $250

All you have to do to hold your date is to pay a 50% of the total rental fee, plus the Refundable Security Fee which is $200. which will be refunded to you at departure, Once you have made the payment I will issue you a receipt confirming your payments. our cleaners would come at intervals under your request to clean and attend to your needs. .I will send you our Terms, Condition, booking form and agreement as soon I have your reply to know you are interested in booking

Regards
Max

I recieved that same exact message a couple days ago. I gave him my name, address, etc. Can he do something with that? Im so mad right now

Ran across this guy again, this week.  Same type of craigslist ad, "3 NIGHTS=$600... " for a ski resort property @ Mt. Hood, in Government Camp, Oregon. Gave out the name Max Jefferson, maxrentals@hotmail.com.  Too good to be true. Asked us to send him the money @ a Wellsfargo bank account.

Beware.

I stupidly replied to his post with a good amount of my personal information. After his second email asking to send money via western union I felt uncomfortable which led me here. So glad I found it before I cashed any checks. I don't think he can do anything with my name address and phone number, but this whole thing has still freaked me out.

I received the below message from the same scammer after enquiring about a rental in Wicker Park, Chicago IL (from Craigslist). He now goes by the name Robert Cranford (email address rocranford@hotmail.com). Beware people!



Hello,


Thank you for your patronage,We do have availability for your dates,the property is located at  1445 N. Oakley Blvd. Chicago IL .We charge $200 per night,it's one of the best you can get around here at this rate.To hold your dates you,are to pay 50% of the total rental fee plus refundable security fee of $200 that will be returned to you at your departure if there is no damage in the property and the balance of the rental fee paid upon your arrival,discount applies from customer's with 7 days stay and above, all Taxes , Bills,Car park Bills has been handled ,please check below the priee quotes,

Location  This property is located just blocks from Damen Avenue and the Blue Line El with easy access to the Loop and North Avenue Beach.
Managed By  Property Manager
Cross streets  Oakley Blvd and Le Moyne
City, State  Chicago, IL
Zip Code  60622  
Bedrooms  4
Bathrooms  3.5
Sleep 10
Approx Sq Ft  3500
1445 N. Oakley Blvd. Chicago IL

PRICE QUOTE

3 NIGHTS=$600 . %50 DEPOSIT  = $300. SECURITY FEE = $200

FIRST PAYMENT  = $500

BALANCE UPON ARRIVAL = $300

All you have to do to hold the apartment is to pay a 50% of the tota rental fee, plus the Refundable Security Fee which is $200. which will be given back to you on the day you departing from the property, Once you have made the payment I will issue you a receipt confirming your payments. There are also door men and cleaners who would come at intervals under your request to clean and attend to your needs.This also does not attract any extra charges. You get to notify me of the exact time you will be arriving to make arrangement to pick you up. There is no extra charges for this also. I will render this service for free.I will send you our Terms, Condition, booking form and agreement as soon I have your reply to know you are interested in the property.

I just conversed with 504-298-3205 Morice James and tried to have my friend check out the suite before booking. He didn't oblige. I don't know if he is a scammer but Hawaii is the location and he removed his craiglist advert. Thanks for this post to let us know what is going on.

He is now posing as a babysitter again i got the babysitter email ! he needs to be stopped ! offering me to watch his two year old daughter named racheal for $350 dollars a week monday-friday 9am-12noon

Hey there -

Please call me immediately.  I actually did send money and now am panicked.

310-435-4442

Yes.. he almost had me also... thanks for the heads up.

Wow Florence Adams must move slot because in my email from him his name was Mathew Betancourt and the money was able to be sent to Florence Adams 104 North Holly St Greenville NC with the zip code and he gave me a phone number that is 504-298-3205..... this guy is full of it apparently and I almost fell for his scam!!!!! Really ticked off because now a condo in gulf shores is going to be next to impossible to find for the dates we were planning on going!!!

Wow! I replied to his posting in Tallahassee Craigslist, and he sent this same EXACT message. I'm glad I Googled the phone number.

This is what I got back....I cant believe this guy.

Hello,
    Thanks for getting back to us. I'm Greg and my wife name is Janet  and our daughter  is Rachael we are from Chicago. We are relocating to your area and we`ll be staying there for a period of a year.I'm an Building Contractor and got some project there to execute within the period of our stay and my wife  will be undergoing a course on IT.  We need you  for our  daughter  when my  wife is out for lecture,she's 2yrs old and  you can watch her in our apartment  or  my wife can also bring her to you whenever she`s going for lectures, thus you will be taking care of our her from 9am-12noon. Monday to Friday.
We are willing to offer you $450 weekly, ($400 as your wages and $50 for your transport allowance). kindly let us know if you are satisfy with our offer so that we can make arrangement for your payment because my wife is going to begin her lecture on 7th  of March and we need you to start working as soon as she begin her lecture. My daughter is friendly  and love to play a lot with toys.
    Kindly let me know if you are ready to work for us and also so get back to me with the following details of yours so that i can make arrangement for your first week payment in other to secure your service before my wife  arrival because i wont be around till 27th of March.

Full Name:
Physical Contact Address:
City:
State:
Zip code:
Phone #:



    You can reach me on  315 378 1324  if you have any question but you might not be able to reach me now because i usually switch off my phone during working hours..

Hope to hear from you soon.

Has a posting on craigslist that he is looking for a baby sitter. Asks for info so he can make arrangements to send payments. SCAM!!

Here is the email I got from him:
He's going by Max Jefferson, email:maxsrentals@hotmail.com
Same phone number: 315 378 1324

Thank you for your patronage,the payment is to be sent via Money Gram to the owner of the property Dr Florence Adams who is based in North Carolina NC , you are to get back to me with the filled out copy of the Agreement , I.D of the renter , arrival details as well as the Money Gram transfer Ref no ,you can give me a call on 315 378 1324 if you have questions,the payment information is below..

I have attached the agreement and booking form to you. I want you to complete and return it back soonest,you are required to pay %50 deposit plus the refundable security fee which is $200 the total amount you are going to send is ($500) you will transferred it to the owner of the apartment via Money Gram, on you arrival you will pay the remaining %50 payment while i will then hand over the keys to you.

Name : Florence Adams
Address : 311 Kay street,
Greenville, NC 27858 .


Regards
Max

I literally was just at CVS about to send the MoneyGram and didn't do it because there was a $37 fee to send it. I thought that was obsurd asking customers to pay a fee just to make a payment!
I was a little skeptical because the pictures of the place looked too nice, like they were copied out of a vacation website. Then when I was told there was a doorman and cleaning service...in a little town in Vermont?
I went with my gut and decided to try to Google Dr.Florence Adams and found this website!
What Dr. in NC has a rental home in a tiny town in VT?
I went with my gut instincts on this and now am thankful for that $37 fee I refused to pay!

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS PERSON! He called himself Max and when I talked to him on the phone about the MoneyGram fee, he had very broken english.

This guy pulled the same babysitting scam on me also. Sounded to good to be true, Good thing I looked up the phone number. I think he did this back in the fall aslo. From the KCMo area.

I have said to my bank to return every other pending transaction in my account to where it was sent from. I do not want to get into more mess. They caused me lots of problems already, I have spoke with my lawyer to clear my name from this mess maybe i will invite the cops too.

I have called my bank to block my account to any incoming money until further notice. Much to everyone elses post I beg you to stop making transactions to my name or bank account.

Listen up everybody I had no idea what was going on with your money, I thought I was helping one George in africa cos we met and became friends on fb. I am so sorry these crooks deceived me into using my account to get money for him claiming the monies come from his project investors. I am not aware of the scam until I got this call from a certain guy enquiring about my role in all this acting. Ima  sorry if y'all has lost your money as a result of using my account number cos all money was sent to him in nigeria. I have learnt my lessons to never get involve someone I have met in real life!!!!!!!! Barbara Franklin.

OMG who does this guy thinks he is, I got the exact same message from him for a place I wanted to rent for a weekend in Vermont, Stupid scammer. Good thing ppl are smarter than these ppl sometimes

Same deal as everyone else. Thanks everyone for sharing. A direct bank transfer! Really? Who does that? And who gives out their bank information including acct#, routing #, and also a Dr. Franklin. That's just crazy! This place was in New Orleans described as all the above. The language in the communication alone is enough to put up a red flag. Glad we were all wise enough. Such a shame when we all work so hard for our money (HONESTLY) and people like this try to take advantage! BTW, he called himself Max and the e-mail was from maxsrentals@hotmail.com.

Much to everyone elses post I was skeptical about a 3 bedroom condo in south beach for only $200 a night. Once I received the rental agreement and name of the person I was supposed to send the money to I decided to search under the county property taxes for Dr. Florence Adams. Of course no match was made nor was there a match for this person at 311 Kay street,
Greenville, NC 27858.

maxsrentals@hotmail.com is the email address he was sending emails from.

Like the old saying if its to good to be true it is!

I was looking for an apartment to rent for Mardi Gras and found this listing:

$200 / 3br - FESTIVALS HERE AGAIN !!French Quarter's 3BR/4BA Apart,2Balconies,WiFi. (FRENCH QUARTERS/NOLA)

Date: 2012-01-24, 9:35AM CST
Reply to: hous-ceudx-2793714750@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Beautifully furnished, classic New Orleans house. Spacious, 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, courtyard, quiet and safe neighborhood with ample street parking and shade.

Get the REAL New Orleans experience by staying at this beautiful house in a lovely shaded, safe and relaxed french quarters neighborhood. Relax on the Balconies with the beautiful views of Bourbons street, then walk to some of New Orleans BEST restaurants in the evening. The 2,850 square foot property is comprised of a 3-bedroom/4 bath apartment,large open kitchen with all modern appliances, spacious Living Room (with pool table)and Music room with piano and 100 cd juke box , 50" plasma TV w/ cable, wireless internet, washer and dryer, central air and heat, ceiling fans all over the place, and linens (sheets and towels) are provided.............This apartment is even bigger than it looks in photos ,the master bedrooms has got large Queen beds and the 3rd bedroom with twin beds,extra sleep sofas and pullout beds available for more sleeps......

Bourbons street (google map) (yahoo map)


******************************************************************************************************************
A man, by the name of Jeffrey Holmes, jeffreysrentals@hotmail.com responded with this email:

"Katie,
Thank you for your patronage,the payment is to be sent via Bank Transfer to the owner of the property Dr Barbara K Franklin who is based in CA , you are to get back to me with filled copy of the Agreement, I.D of the renter and arrival details as well as the deposit transfer receipt so we could finalize the booking process,the payment information is below..

I have attached the agreement and booking form to you. I want you to complete and return t back soonest. Also, to have the apartment reserved for you. you need to have the %50 deposit plus the refundable security fee which is $200 the total amount you are going to send is ($600) you will transferred it to the owner of the apartment via bank transfer or on you arrival you will pay the remaining %50 payment and thereafter hand over the keys to you.you can give me a call or leave me with voice message on 315 378 1324 if you have questions .


Account name: Barbara K Franklin
Acct #  : 4231302987
Routing # :  122000496
Bank name: Union Bank of CA,
Bank Address : 239 east Main St, Barstow, CA 92311


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

you are to get back to me with the bank transfer receipt so i can prepare and forward your receipt to you. Please remember to print and come along with the apartment receipt that i will attach and forward to you after confirmation of deposit.

Regards
Jeffrey"

******************************************************************************************************************
I asked him to call me because I had some further questions and wanted to confirm that it wasn't a scam before I sent him $$.  

He called me from We spoke for about 10 minutes.  He had a non American accent.  I asked many leading questions aimed to quickly understand his legitimacy as an agent, the proprietor and the property.  

Unlike most agents or proud owners, he was not selling me on the place.  When I asked him how it was possible that a property as great as this one was still available just one month before Mardi Gras he said "I just got lucky."  When I asked about the proprietor, he said she was a doctor.  Lastly I asked him how he got into the business and how long he had been doing it for.  He said he was from New Orleans, but was in Syracuse for a business trip.  It all sounded very strange.

******************************************************************************************************************

Lastly, I asked him to send me references of people who had previously stayed there.  Here is what he sent back:


REFERNCES.....................................................................................................
   
Frank, we all want to thank you for a truly fantastic time. We are back in Slovenia now :( . Our memories of the 242 Bourbons street apartment are good ones but now we are back to work here , i loved the views from the Balcony so much as well as the Cool breeze and view of the wonderful street,Thank you for making everything so comfortable for us. The fact that you go beyond what is expected is something that we all appreciate. I am telling friends and family about your places so I hope to send you some new business from Slovenia soon. Until we can meet again good luck and keep in touch.
Lucy, Bojan, Ladislava, and Nicolaj, Ljubljana Slovania

lucypatterns03@yahoo.com

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I loved the place,  its amazing. The Jazz fest was fantastic. I felt like a queen. Whatever I needed I asked for and got within 24 hours. The apartment I rented was exactly like the pictures showed. The price was right and there were no surprises like with cleaning fees, parking fees or Internet fees. I had that happen before and it really made me mad. Jeffrey was great and always there for anything I needed. Nice job and thanks a lot for everything. I am looking forward to my return visit.
Marlon, Jessica ,Andrew

Marlon.hills001@gmail.com

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   We love  it . We wanted to make sure there was a baby crib in the apartment. Jeffrey arranged a wonderful high quality baby crib that was disinfected and pre-assembled. Very nice touch. The apartment was clean, spacious and fully equipped. I was expecting to see something different than what was in the pictures but it was exactly the same. All around great service. We had a fantastic time.
Thanks so much and best wishes.
Alex, Elly, and Jessica Matheson, San Fransisco Ca

Alexbossman11@yahoo.com
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   I have been to New Orleans several times but usually get a hotel. Since staying at Jeffrey of (jeffreysrentals@hotmail.com I will probably never get a hotel again. I really enjoyed being able to bring my pet with no additional fee. The flat screen TV and X-box game system was a great addition to my apartment. We asked for extra sheets and towels and there was no extra charge. The amenities were great and the location was perfect. I have told all my friends about this place so expect some new biz soon. Thanks,
Mandy , Darrel Brown and Shelisha Tyrst , , New york

Mandy

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WOW! I can't thank you all enough for posting these comments. I came across this EXACT posting and have been emailing him back and forth all day today. I asked him to provide me with some information to ensure its legitimacy and he sent me a contract and wire information. I've been looking for some verification of this guy all afternoon and LUCKILY came across this.

Its disgusting that this guy is taking advantage of people like this. I can only hope people in the future research a bit more before handing over $500 to this a-hole!