Common Money Transfer Flat Deposit Scam [WATCH OUT!]

Hi everyone, my apologies since this is old news, but I received many of these within my first day of flat-hunting and wanted to put the word out to any recent expats who might not be familiar with it. Basically, there's a popular scam that asks you to send proof of a money transfer (to a friend) to the "landlord" before a viewing as the "landlord" lives out of town/country. The excuses are quite detailed and extravagant, so definitely watch out.

Thread on BBC Forum: http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6637&edition=1&ttl=20100330181214#6359863

Thread on Gumtree: http://forums.gumtree.com/post-3254470.html

Thread on MoneySavingExpert: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2323007