Flat-hunting creates all sorts of opportunity to be irritated, largely owing to letting agents who seem to absolutely resent the fact that you have called them and really don't want to put themselves out by actually showing you properties. And show that resentment by not turning up to any appointment you might try to make with them.

However, I've encountered another problem to make flat-hunting even more joyless than it normally is. If you look at flats on gumtree for flats, there seems to be a good chance that the people advertising are second rate con artists trying to fleece you for your cash.

The new con goes like this - someone advertises a good property for a cheap price. It seems a little too good to be true, but you decide to give them the benefit of the doubt. You e-mail them, and get a reasonable yet cagey e-mail back. You ask to see the property... and you get this:

Hi,I work in a hospital and is very hard for me to come in UK. I can't take the risk to leave my new job for days and when I arrive in UK to see that I come for nothing. I want to be 100% sure that when I will meet you, we do the rent papers then i can come back in Italy. So i can be sure of that look how we can do:You make the payment from your name and address to your best friend name and address in UK using Western Union or MoneyGram for 2 months rent that means 1000 GBP and send me the scanned receipt. As soon as I see the scanned receipt that you have made the payment, I will come in UK and you will see the flat and maybe rent it. After that, we will go together at the Western Union or MoneyGram office and you will take the money back and pay me...So all you have to do is to find a Western Union or MoneyGram office and wire 1000 GBP from your name to your friend name and send the scanned receipt.I am asking you this to be sure that I do not come in UK for nothing. I hope you understand. P.S : As I told you,I have a lot of customers interested to rent the apartment. I will reserve the apartment to the first one that provides me the scanned paper from Western Union or MoneyGram. As soon as I have the confirmation from Western Union or MoneyGram that the money are available on his name I stop the transactions with all the other customers !

At which point, you realise that valuable minutes of your life have been wasted by a con man with broken English. His name is Daniel Poling, or Robert Colin, btw. Or at least that is what he claims his name(s) to be.

You've got to pretty dumb to fall for this sort of scandal, but I'm blogging about it in case people are that dumb. After all, people are dumb enough to think this sort of thing will actually work, and given the persistent use of this technique, it has to have worked with someone at some point.

Use the golden rule - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...