Would-Be Renter Stumbles Into Home Hijacking Scam; DA's Fraud Investigator: "These Crooks Are Really Brazen"

In Vallejo, California, the Vallejo Times Herald reports:

• The tip-off, Jennifer Casey said, was when her e-mailed application to rent the Vallejo property was approved within 20 minutes of sending it. "He never asked for a Social Security number, or bank account numbers, but he did ask for references. But that's not enough time to check anything, so I knew it was a scam then," said Casey, a divorced mother of four living in Vallejo. An ad on Craigslist offered the Vallejo house for $800 per month, plus a $200 deposit. It appeared directly above another ad, for the same property, for significantly more. And that's how Krystle Murphy of Vallejo's Krystle Property Management, Inc. said she discovered what appears to be a case of fraud. She still doesn't know if anyone's fallen for it, she said.

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• "These crooks are really brazen, especially in Vallejo," [Solano County District Attorney's Office real estate fraud investigator Sonny] Ash said. "They keep an eye on the place to make sure it's empty long enough. They change the locks, print up a rental agreement and just rent the place out. It happens everywhere. [...]."

For more, see Property manager, prospective renter foil apparent scam.