Displaced family fall victim to rental scam
By Greg Collier
A Florid family of three recently moved out of the mobile home they were living in. They needed a larger living space due to medical concerns. They were driving through Jacksonville when they came upon an open house for a home that was for rent. There were other potential renters touring the home, while the event was hosted by a man who appeared to be from a realty agency. That man was professionally dressed while wearing a badge with his name and picture that carried a local realtor’s logo. He was also said to be handing out rental applications.
The family filled one out, and two weeks later the man visited them at their mobile home. The family was told their application was approved, and they paid a $2300 deposit. The man even had a card reader with him, so he could take the payment from their debit card immediately. They were even given a key to the home. After they moved in, they used their remaining savings to have the power turned on.
Three weeks later, the family’s nightmare began. A security guard who worked for the realtor told the family they had been scammed and had 72 hours to move out. They couldn’t even go back to the mobile home they were living in previously because it had been damaged by Hurricane Ian. They’re currently having trouble finding a home due to a previous eviction.
Just about anybody who walked into this situation could have been scammed. The scammer went to extreme lengths to scam families looking for a home. First, the scammer probably toured the home himself through the realtor, which gave him access to the realtor’s lockbox that holds the key to the home. Many realtors do not change the combinations on their lock boxes after a family tours a home.
Then he held his own open house for the property while posing as one of the realtors. There’s a reason why the ‘con’ in con artist is short for ‘confidence’. Who knows how many other victims this person has allegedly scammed using the same tricks?
According to local realtors, if you meet a real estate agent away from their office, get their business address and verify they work for the realtor they claim to work for.
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