Beware of Ciprian Pahoni

If you have dealings with someone named Ciprian Pahoni, (or possibly Pahoni Ciprian) be very, very cautious.

As the result of a clever scam, I transfered money to an account with a London bank in the name of Ciprian Pahoni. The account, of course, was closed immediately after the transfer arrived.

The details: I attempted to rent a property in Italy through VRBO. The real property agent made an error in the e-mail address: the wrong address was given on the page, but it hyperlinked to the correct e-mail address. Ciprian Pahoni, or someone connected to him, noticed that and set up an e-mail account for the address that appeared on the VRBO listing page, expecting that someone would in fact use the incorrect address that showed on the web page. Rather ingenious, I must admit. I thus found myself corresponding with someone who seemed to know all the property details, and realized only after wiring a deposit to Pahoni’s London bank the fradulent nature of the affair.

Ciprian Pahoni is an unusual name, so beware of any dealings with someone of that name.