I am so glad I checked Google for Newsome Properties LLC...I had just received this identical e-mail regarding a rental in Richmond INDIANA and had never heard of FlakeList. (The craigslist ad is at http://richmondin.craigslist.org/roo/1929199762.html )

What I can add to the mix:

The URL newsomepropertiesllc.com points to IP address 174.122.61.19, whose administrative contact is

Turner, Darren darrenturnerfield@hotmail.com

115 Lindbergh Drive Northeast

Atlanta, Georgia 30305

United States

(404) 790-9658

I've gotten this same email twice in the last 30 mins and wouldn't have thought twice about it if I hadn't received the same exact email from a Wilma and Erin a few weeks ago. Thank god I'm too paranoid to give out my ssn to anyone that I didn't fall for it the first time. And when I didn't provide it Wilma emailed back at 1:30 am to say the room was now rented to the previous people interested.

It's bad enough you got to be careful what jobs you apply for but now also looking for a place to live is dangerous too. It's sad.

I'm glad you guys both came here first and checked and found out it was a scam before you got scammed. That's what we're here for; to out the scammers so innocent people are protected. I wish we could protect everyone.

Ditto...Methree as well. Florida

I also just got the same email as u ppl. I didnt give them anything. Good thing Im getting use to this scam crap. This is the second time in 3 wks I caught up with the scammers. But the other one was a real estate agaent.

Thank you

Bismarck ND

I found flakelist.com when I recieved an email response back from 'Sharon Newsome' for house for rent in Southwick, MA.. same exact thing. This is the 6th scam in 2 weeks that I have dealt with trying to find a home to rent. And all of them have been on Craigslist.org

I was looking for a place in SF and came in contact with same fake company. They sent me a link for a credit report that turned out to be routed to steal my information. Did not fill it out because I saw this post first. Thanks for sharing the information.

Beware of "Sharon Newsome" and "Newsome Properties LLC"

sharon-newsome@newsomepropertiesllc.com

rentals@newsomepropertiesllc.com

I am so thankful for this webite flakelist.org.

i responded to anesome property craigslist ad about an apartment and sent them yesterday Friday afternoon my credit report. I am so mad right now. I have an unusual name so i wonder if they can use it at all. I did not send my SSN number.

What should I do now? Please help!

I was checking for an affordable place for a friend and interestingly enough--received the same response back from 2 of the ads I responded to. One email came last night and one came today for different apartment listings. --The mother who is the realtor helping her daughter screen potential roommates and asking for the credit report. These ads were posted on the Madison, WI site.

I was encouraging my friend to check into the the first ad. I just got the second response and knew something was very strange. Thanks so much for having the postings!!! I would have never suspected this weird scam!

Yonkers, it could be that they put a key logger program on your PC. Run your spyware, malware, virus protection and defraggler programs and see if it picks up anything and cleans it off.

When something seems too good to be true, it is.

Thank you so much for posting this...it saved me a lot of time and anticipation. Back to the drawing board :(

I got this email below twice from the same person and thank God I didn't send them anything. This person is advertising something that is below market price and I waited a week until today I got two email and the same until I googled her name and email and this site came up.

People we need to report this bastard to the Police or FBI or some kind of authority.

Here is the email I got below:

From: Sharon Newsome [newsome.sharon@newsomepropertiesllc.com]

Subject: Re: $875 / 1br - Location & Immaculate! - Arcadia,Pasadena Adjacent (Pasadena)

Hello,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to get back to you sooner! Things have been so hectic for me these last couple of days!

The good news is that the rental is still available! We had an offer from the first person we showed it to, but now it appears that they are changing their mind, so we need to start showing it again as soon as possible. You were the second one to email me about it.

It is the whole place that is for rent, and it's in pristine condition. We know a lot of prospective renters want to do a quick look of the property, but my husband doesn't want me to mass send out the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, the empty property was broken into and vandalized. We don't want that to happen again! I CAN tell you that it's a very special property, that would normally rent for quite a bit more than other comparable properties in the neighborhood.

All utilities are connected and will be transferred into your name. You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this property. The rental term is 12-month lease, but can be switched into a 6-month lease if preferred. We just ask that you give us fair notice if you are moving out.

If you would like to set up an appointment, go to the link below and request the free copy of your rental / credit report. We use this company for all the properties we manage. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the free credit report. The actual scores on the report aren't important to us, it's more of a formality to have it on file, to make sure you are who you say you are.

Get your report here: //leasing-reports.com/property00310/

Remember, we only need to see the page about the rental history. That will be all you will need to bring with you to the showing.

As far as getting together to see the property goes, I am available to show it any time from 10:00 am on, for the next couple of days. Let me know when you've printed out your credit report, and we will set up a time to do your walk-through.

Thank you once again for your interest!

Sharon Newsome

I got as far as actually getting the credit report from "NationalCreditReport.com" which the email directed me to.

She hadn't gotten back to me, so I googled her domain name, and what do you know? I immediately filed a police report, canceled my check card, and put alerts in with all three credit services, but I think I dodged the bullet since I didn't actually send her anything. NCR is a legit company (I spoke with them on the phone), and they're aware of people using their name for this scam, and not a part of it. Things like this are total fraud, and no company would actually do that just to gain a subscriber (even the punks at experian)

But since I got there via a link in the email, I'm still being uber cautious in case of redirecting tomfoolery. Some online keylog, or something. Luckily, I have a mac, which reduces risk, but I'll still be running anti-virus checks.

This is from a Miami, FL craigslist response:

Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to email my daughter about the room, being a realtor she asked that I help her with the screening

I thought I had the place rented last week to a friends niece, but communication has dropped off. You are the first person to email about it since I put it back on the market . It would only be fair that I gave you the first shot at it.

To tell you a little bit about your potential roomate, "I am a 28 year old professional female. Non-Smoker, occasional drinker and WILL not bring any drama into the house. I'm not going to follow you around with white gloves but would think you'd want to help keep the place clean. I don't have a pet but am not against them." is her 2 sentence description she asked me to pass along

I would prefer a year lease, but would also be open to shorter terms. I'm sure that you will want to see the property before making a final decision. I would simply give you the address and let you swing by, but for safety reasons I would rather meet somewhere first and talk / answer any questions, then let you follow me to the property. Rest assured the home has been up kept properly and had a good cleaning and fresh coat of paint . All utilities are taken care of in the rent.

If you want to go ahead and schedule a time to see the property, go to the link below and print off the free copy of your report. Your score isn't important, I'm just interested in seeing that there are no evictions / landlord related judgments.

Here is the link: //leasing-reports.com/property062145/

I am very open as far as appointments go to show the property. Any morning after 10am is fine. Just let me know when you have everything printed and be sure to leave me a contact number to reach you at and any desired time. I will call you to confirm a time and choose a place to meet.

Thanks for looking,

Sharon and Erin

(Property in Odessa, Texas)

Got the very same letter like bonjour. But when I got to the link that she wanted me to check my credit score, I got suspicious. Thank goodness I researched before I got into it. I want to THANK YOU ALL for posting this. You all saved me. :)

I got the EXACT same email! Only mine was a craigslist property in springboro Ohio! as soon as I let her know I had printed out my papers I heard NOTHING! When I tried to email back my emails were returned! I emailed her back on another email address that I have and it wasn't returned. So aparantly she just blocked me from emailing her. Someone has to be catching on to this! there has to be a way to get this person! I mean I have enough on my plate and now I have to go deal with scanning my computer and notifying my bank

I got exactly the same email but from a Marie Sheahan for a rental property in Houma, Louisiana. Her new email is mariesheahan8574@yahoo.com

Her email was as follows:

Hello,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to get back to you sooner! Issues have been so hectic for me these final couple of days!

The great news is that the rental is still available! We had an provide from the first individual we showed it to, but now it appears that they are changing their mind, so we require to start displaying it again as soon as possible. You had been the second one to email me about it.

It's the whole place that is for rent, and it's in pristine condition. We know a lot of prospective renters want to do a fast look of the house, but my husband does not want me to mass send out the address as a measure of safety. Final time we did that without verifying people, the empty house was broken into and vandalized. We do not want that to happen again! I CAN tell you that it's a very special house, that would normally rent for fairly a bit more than other comparable properties within the neighborhood.

All utilities are connected and will be transferred into your name. You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, in the event you determine to have these services. Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this house. The rental term is 12-month lease, but can be switched into a 6-month lease if preferred. We just ask that you simply give us fair notice if you are moving out.

If you would like to setup an appointment, go to the link below and request the free copy of your rental / credit report. We use this company for all the properties we manage. Just fill out the form and indicate that you simply want the free credit report. The actual scores on the report aren't important to us, it's more of a formality to have it on file, to make certain you are who you say you are.

Get your report here

Keep in mind, we only require to determine the page about the rental history. That will be all you'll require to bring with you to the displaying.

As far as obtaining together to determine the house goes, I am available to show it any time from 10:00 am on, for the next couple of days. Let me know when you've printed out your credit report, and we will setup a time to do your walk-through.

Thank you once again for your interest!

Marie Sheahan

I began to fill out the credit report but my wife had read the email to me and I felt something fishy so I read the email myself and saw many grammatical errors. My "fishy" gland really got to twitching so I did a Google search and found this website. Thank you all for your help!

Kalelrojin, I am glad your "fishy" gland kicked in and you did not get scammed. ☺

For what it's worth, AnnualCreditReport.com is the ONLY authorized source for the free annual credit report that's yours by law. The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you access to your credit report for free from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission has received complaints from consumers who thought they were ordering their free annual credit report, and yet couldn't get it without paying fees or buying other services. TV ads, email offers, or online search results may tout "free" credit reports, but there is only one authorized source for a truly free credit report.

Here is their official page: http://www.ftc.gov/freereports

Thanks for visiting Flakelist!! ☺

I have been communicating with a renter by the name of Steven John about renting a property for two weeks in Miami. He has just sent the agreement to me and i noticed it said 'NEWSOME RENTALS' at the top of it. After reading all of this i am concerned that he is also a scammer but he takes a small deposit which is payable via PayPal aand accepte the rest on ouyr arrival.

After reading all this i am confused and don't know wether to go through or not.

What do you advise???

P.S. i found the property also on Craigslist

Lou, I advise you to NOT send that person ANY money. If you do, you will probably lose that "small deposit" and you also put yourself at risk because now this scammer will have your PayPal information as well as your personal information.

If the property owner offers up any hesitation or tries to communicate via email only, or just gives you a bad vibe, step away from the transaction. There are thousands and thousands of vacation rentals, move on to a respected vacation rental owner that fully answers all of your questions and is more than willing to offer up proof that they are the legitimate owners of the property.