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ASPEN — Ignacio Lemos got a bad taste of America his first day in Aspen.
Lemos, 24, said he and nine of his future housemates were bilked out of $500 each after they answered an Internet ad to rent a single-family house in Aspen. They wired a total of $5,000 in deposit money to a man calling himself John Jacobson, who advertised he had a house for rent at the address of 73A Powder St. The problem is, there is no Powder Street in Aspen.
“I came here and the house didn’t exist,” said Lemos, who had been recruited by the Aspen Skiing Co. in Argentina prior to his arrival in Aspen on Nov. 28.
As an employee at the Snowmass Club, Lemos went directly to his employer for assistance.
“I couldn’t find the house so I went to the Snowmass Club to find help,” Lemos said, adding the ski company immediately put him in an apartment in the Snowmass Club Commons, an employee housing complex.
Lemos and his girlfriend, Clara Simond, partnered up with eight other fellow recruits to find inexpensive housing. Lemos arrived first and he alerted the others that not only were they out $500, they also had no housing at the start of ski season.
The Argentineans, ranging in age between 21 and 24, didn’t know each other before the resort hired them. They connected in Argentina and began e-mailing one another looking for housing. By pooling their resources, the group thought a six- or seven-bedroom house in Aspen would suffice.
Lemos, 24, said he and nine of his future housemates were bilked out of $500 each after they answered an Internet ad to rent a single-family house in Aspen. They wired a total of $5,000 in deposit money to a man calling himself John Jacobson, who advertised he had a house for rent at the address of 73A Powder St. The problem is, there is no Powder Street in Aspen.
“I came here and the house didn’t exist,” said Lemos, who had been recruited by the Aspen Skiing Co. in Argentina prior to his arrival in Aspen on Nov. 28.
As an employee at the Snowmass Club, Lemos went directly to his employer for assistance.
“I couldn’t find the house so I went to the Snowmass Club to find help,” Lemos said, adding the ski company immediately put him in an apartment in the Snowmass Club Commons, an employee housing complex.
Lemos and his girlfriend, Clara Simond, partnered up with eight other fellow recruits to find inexpensive housing. Lemos arrived first and he alerted the others that not only were they out $500, they also had no housing at the start of ski season.
The Argentineans, ranging in age between 21 and 24, didn’t know each other before the resort hired them. They connected in Argentina and began e-mailing one another looking for housing. By pooling their resources, the group thought a six- or seven-bedroom house in Aspen would suffice.
“Now we are all spilt up,” Lemos said, adding some of his friends moved in with people they knew from working here a previous season and four girls found a place in Basalt.
Lemos ended up with a better situation than what the fictitious John Jacobson had to offer.
“Me and my girlfriend live together,” Lemos said of his two-bedroom apartment. He and his would-be housemates were planning to pay $400 a month at the house.
Using the Internet to find housing in Aspen is a common practice among South Americans and other foreign seasonal employees.
The group wired the money to a Bank of America account. Lemos said he and his friends plan to contact the bank in an attempt to resolve the fraudulent transaction.
“This is just another version of an Internet scam,” said Aspen police officer Jim Crowley, who handled Lemos’ police report when he filed it a couple of days after arriving in town.
“Every time they put a twist on these things and a few more people fall for it,” Crowley said.
Lemos ended up with a better situation than what the fictitious John Jacobson had to offer.
“Me and my girlfriend live together,” Lemos said of his two-bedroom apartment. He and his would-be housemates were planning to pay $400 a month at the house.
Using the Internet to find housing in Aspen is a common practice among South Americans and other foreign seasonal employees.
The group wired the money to a Bank of America account. Lemos said he and his friends plan to contact the bank in an attempt to resolve the fraudulent transaction.
“This is just another version of an Internet scam,” said Aspen police officer Jim Crowley, who handled Lemos’ police report when he filed it a couple of days after arriving in town.
“Every time they put a twist on these things and a few more people fall for it,” Crowley said.
Recognizing scams
Most scams involve one or more of the following:
• Inquiry from someone far away, often in another country. • Western Union, Money Gram, cashier’s check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a “guarantee.” • Inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consummating transaction. Scammer will often send an official looking e-mail that appears to come from the Web site, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, or providing payment services. All such e-mails are fakes. |
