Another Real Estate Company-Listed Home At Center Of Craigslist Rental Scam Bust; After Allegedly Screwing Victim Out Of $1,950 Cash Deposit For Renting Property He Didn't Owned, Landlord-Imposter Gets Stung By Cops, Victim's Friend Who Staged Second Lease-For-Cash Exchange Meeting

In Newnan, Georgia, The Newnan Times-Herald reports:

• A man is in jail after attempting to lease property that didn’t belong to him.
  
  Joshua Hardigree said that he contacted police after his friend, Roslynn Batups, had attempted to lease a property on 185 Stillwood Dr. after seeing an ad on Craigslist.
  
  After she paid $1,950 cash for the deposit, Batups contacted the rental agency who said they hadn’t rented the property to anyone, according to Sgt. Jim Beneke from the Newnan Police Department. “They sent a representative down who said, “Sorry, we have to evict you,” Beneke said.
  
  That’s when Hardigree got the number from his friend and attempted to set up another lease – this time, with police nearby.
  
  Last Saturday, Hardigree said he attempted to meet the agent he had spoken with, Camilla Jones. However, Jones said she was sending her husband to deliver the lease and receipt.
  
  When Julius DeWayne Ball arrived at the property, Hardigree contacted the police.
  
  Ball told police that his aunt’s name was Camilla Jones and she had sent him to drop off a lease. Police found a cell phone, lease agreement and receipt made out to Hardigree in Ball's possession.
  
  Ball’s Hyundai Sonata also had a temporary Georgia tag, but a North Carolina tag was found in the trunk, according to police. The car was impounded and the items inside were taken as evidence. Police said the car does not appear to be stolen.
  
  Kenyatta Johnson, a leasing specialist for Progress Residential, spoke with police and said that neither Ball nor Jones were authorized to lease any of the properties and that neither of them work for his company.
  
  Beneke said that this particular scam is prevalent around Atlanta presently, and he’s currently working several similar cases from the same rental company.(1)
  
  Ball faces charges of forgery first degree, theft by deception, false writings and statements. He was released on $7,000 bond [].

Source: Man arrested for real estate scam.

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(1) Residential property listed for sale/rent with real estate companies appear to be increasingly targeted by landlord-imposters for these Craigslist rental scams. See, for example, Scammers Target Vacant Realtor-Listed Homes For Possession-Hijacking Rent Ripoffs (One Central Florida Agent Says About 1/3 Of Of Local Listings On Craigslist Are Fraudulent w/ Landlord Impostors Operating Email Accounts Using Actual Realtor Names To Reel In Victims).