Ebay fraudsters sting music boss

Sep 28 2008 By Norman Silvester

Exclusive They Rent Him A House ..they Don't Even Own It

SCOTLAND'S most notorious con couple have duped a top record producer - by renting him a villa they do not own.

Harry Leckstein demanded Justin and Evelyn Noble be brought to justice after paying Nobles Lets Ltd a £1200 down payment over the internet.

He was stunned when the bemused owners of the house revealed it had NEVER been up for rent and they had not heard of Noble Lets.

The Nobles have been banned from eBay for life after flogging hundreds of customers non-existent mobile phones.

Evelyn, 24, has also served time in prison for passing a dud £400,000 cheque. But despite their appalling record they are still getting away with ripping off innocent victims like Harry.

The London-based music guru booked a six-week let on a four-bedroom house in Glasgow's affluent Newton Mearns suburb last week and had hoped to move in this week.

Harry, 38, is visiting the city to promote an initiative for disadvantaged youths called the British Urban Collective.

It was advertised by Noble Lets Ltd on classifieds website www.gumtree.com But the house is occupied - and its owners had never offered it up for rent. Furious Harry - who runs Freeport records and manages rapper Pink Punk and indie rockers Luminous Frenzy - fears he will never see his cash again as he has heard nothing from the Nobles since.

He said: "I booked a fourbedroom villa and sent a pal up to the door to check it was OK.

"But when he spoke to the owners they said it had never been up for rent and they had never heard of the Nobles.

"I have reported the matter to the police but they have said they are not optimistic of me getting my money back.

"This couple have clearly been getting away with this kind of thing for years and it is time something was done about them. I paid the money in advance on trust into their bank account but the guy Justin was very plausible.

"All the contact was by email. When I emailed Noble to ask what was happening to my money he had the cheek to ask if I was having any problems."

The latest scam by the notorious fraudsters comes just three months after another victim, Fatemeh Darvandzadeh, got a court order to evict them from her home.

The Sunday Mail revealed in June how Evelyn and Justin, 25, owed more than £9000 in unpaid rent on her villa in Newton Mearns, Glasgow.

The Nobles moved in last June but defaulted on most of the £1000-a-month instalments.

They even tried to sub-let it to another couple, claiming they were the owners.

In January 2007, the Nobles - then living in Milngavie, Glasgow - were charged over an eBay fraud which left hundreds of people without computer games for Christmas.

Devastated families bid £30,000 for non-existent PlayStation games - but were left empty-handed.

The Crown Office claims the case is still being investigated.

Four years ago, the couple - then living in Stirling - were accused of selling non-existent mobile phones for up to £250 to clients across the world.

Central Scotland Police arrested them at Glasgow Airport but despite statements from 80 victims, neither were prosecuted.

In January 2006, Evelyn admitted trying to defraud a building society in Edinburgh out of £415,400 by passing a dud cheque. She was jailed for nine months.

Yesterday, neither of the Nobles could be contacted for comment.

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