Friday, January 28, 2011

Suspects Arrested For Allegedly Hijacking Possession Of Vacant Foreclosure, Using Craigslist Ad To Pocket $2K From Unwitting Renter

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, KOB-TV Channel 4 reports:
  • Police say they have arrested some people who may have tricked a family into renting a house the suspects don't own. And now the victims are about to be out of a home.

  • Police say the whole thing started from a rental advertisement on Craigslist. A couple with eight small children saw the ad and contacted who they thought were the owners of the property.

  • After paying a deposit, the first and last month's rent and signing a contract, they got the keys to a house near Irving and Unser. Police say the people who posted the ad are scammers, and the home is a foreclosure owned by the bank.

  • The bank is giving the victims who rented the home a little time to find another place to live. Police tell KOB Eyewitness News 4 there could be other foreclosures involved in the scam.

Source: Scammers trick family into renting home they don't own.

See also, KRQE-TV Channel 13: Man behind home scam still on the loose:

  • Investigators say the scam began earlier this month when a family of 10 contacted a man about a rental listing posted on Craigslist. The family moved into the home around Jan. 11 after paying about $2,000 for the first and last months rent to a false landlord.