Ohio Renter Taken For $1,100 By Phony Landlord; Responded To Scam Ad Posted On Craigslist

In Columbus, Ohio, WBNS-TV Channel 10 reports:

• The foreclosure crisis is drumming up business for criminals looking to scam people out of money, and 10 Investigates has uncovered a new scam where thieves pose as landlords and rent property that does not belong to them. Tim Dodge and his family fell victim to the scheme.

• According to Dodge, the trouble started when he logged onto the Web site Craigslist to look for new home to rent. He browsed through listings and found a three-bedroom house in Grove City for $550 a month. "When I first pulled into the driveway, I looked around and said, 'It looks kind of cheap,'" Dodge said.

• A short time later he met with the woman who listed the property, signed a lease, and handed over cash to cover the rent, 10 Investigates' Paul Aker reported. "I paid her $1,100 up front for the first two months rent," Dodge said. Then, on the same day that Dodge and his family were moving into the home, he learned that he had been duped. That's when the home's owner [...] showed up.

For more, see Scammers Evolve, Use Craigslist To Pose As Landlords.

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Another Fresno Man Sought For Allegedly Renting Out To Unwitting Tenants Vacant Foreclosed Homes Belonging To Others

In Fresno, California, KMPH-TV Channel 26 reports:

• Fresno police are warning valley residents of another foreclosure scam artist. At least three families have now come forward, saying they are out thousands of dollars after renting homes from a man named Joe Rodriguez.(1)

***

• Amanda and Jacob Jinapuck filed a report with Fresno Police on Saturday. That's when the Jinapucks found out the home they were renting didn't belong to the man they thought was the owner. [...] Police say two more families have filed complaints against Joe Rodriguez with the Fresno County Sheriff's Department.

For more, see Second Suspect Sought in Foreclosure Scam.

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(1) Fresno man Sam Haley was arrested recently for allegations of similar conduct (see Fresno housing scam uncovered (Police say man rented homes to victims who didn't know he was not the owner)). PhonyLandlordScamZeta

Million Dollar Dallas-Area Homes Renting For Less Than $1,000/Month?

In Cedar Hill, Texas, The Dallas Morning News reports on a foreclosure-related scam that has gotten the attention of local police - scammers hijacking vacant homes and renting them out, pocketing cash in the process and leaving the unwitting renters out of luck.

• [T]he neighborhood had become a victim of the latest housing foreclosure scam. It wasn't the only one. The Lake Ridge development in Cedar Hill had renters living in million-dollar homes for less than $1,000 per month. A subdivision near Singing Hills in southeast Oak Cliff also became a prime target. And there could be more.

***

• Here's how the scheme works: When a home enters foreclosure, someone files an appeal bond, which delays the court's foreclosure process for 30 to 60 days or longer. With the case tied up, the scammers change the door locks and find people to move in. The scammer collects rent until the homeowner, real estate agent or authorities disrupt the ruse.

• "It's so novel. It's ingenious, really," said Dallas County prosecutor Stephanie Martin, who won a conviction this week in a groundbreaking case. The scammers typically have a keen knowledge of the foreclosure process and the brazenness to bilk the system, authorities say.

***

• Despite the recent arrests, [an investigator with the Dallas County district attorney's office] said he doesn't expect the scheme to subside because it's too easy.

For more, see Scammers finding open door at foreclosed homes.

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Arrest Warrants Issued For Suspects Accused Of "Hijacking" Vacant, Foreclosed Home In Gated Community

In Sacramento, California, News10 reports:

• The neighbors were suspicious but the tenants showed police a lease to prove they belonged. But now, the case of mystery tenants moving into a vacant upscale Natomas house in the Westlake subdivision last week has brought arrest warrants for those tenants and their real estate broker.(1)

• After a one-week investigation, Sacramento Police Department detectives confirmed the couple who moved into 3700 Clubside Lane in the exclusive neighborhood had no legal right to be there. The suspicion is that with help from a friend who's a real estate broker, the couple moved in and may have planned to get money from the legal owner in return for moving out later without going through the long eviction process, according to police Sgt. Norm Leong.

For more, see Natomas Rental Fraud Brings Arrest Warrants.

(1) Arrest warrants have been issued for real estate broker Phillis Powers, 52. Also sought under the warrants are Carver Barney, 57, and his wife Sandra Barney, 54, the couple who had moved into the house. A fourth suspect is Dennis Eugene, 49, who Powers or the tenants allegedly hired to clean up the house. The warrants are all for a charge of criminal trespass. The legal owner of the house is Aurora Loan Services of Colorado which purchased the house at auction on Jan. 29. PhonyLandlordScamZeta

Rent Scam Victim Plays Key Role In Apprehending Suspect While In The Process Of Ripping Off Another

In Houston, Texas, KVUE-TV Channel 11 reports on a woman who, after being ripped off out of $2,500 by an alleged scam artist who rented her a vacant home he didn't own, turned the tables on him and played a key part in apprehending him while he was in the process of running the same scam on another prospective renter. He reportedly told the prospective tenants that he worked for an investor who was saving homes from foreclosure, and then renting them out.

For the story, see Woman helps police catch alleged scam artist.

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Oklahoma Man Faces Felony Charges For Renting Vacant Homes In Foreclosure Without Owners' Knowledge

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, KSWO-TV Channel 7 reports:

• Tulsa County prosecutors have filed charges against a man accused of renting foreclosed homes he didn't own or have authority to rent. Mike Remington is charged with felony obtaining money by false pretense. He's accused of finding homes in foreclosure where the owners have moved - then renting those homes to other people without the knowledge of the owners. Remington has denied wrongdoing and said he had the permission of mortgage companies or the homeowners to rent the houses.

Source: Man charged with renting homes fraudulently.

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New Hampshire Renter Scammed Out Of $1,000 By Phony Landlord

In Bow, New Hampshire, NewHampshire.com reports:

• According to local business owner Ted Severance, desperate times have led some to very desperate – and illegal – measures. Severance, owner of Coastal Forest Products lumber yards in Bow and Bedford, recently said that a scam artist successfully tricked an unsuspecting woman out of a $1,000 money order by pretending to rent her a property that Severance’s company owns. The house, located on Dunklee Road in Bow, is currently without a tenant and sits adjacent to the lumber yard on property that Severance owns.

For more, see Bow woman loses $1,000 to scam artist.

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Three Months Jail Time For Two In SoCal Rent Scam; Judge Cuts Some Slack As Both Repay Victims; Craigslist Ads Used To Reel In Tenants

In Vista, California, the North County Times reports:

• Two Orange County men who posed as landlords and rented out foreclosed homes, taking thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims, left a Vista courtroom in handcuffs Monday. Linda Smith, who had fallen prey to their scam, whispered a loud "yes" in an otherwise quiet courtroom as Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein sentenced Alexander Braslavsky, 34, and Anthony Patrick Marshall, 38, each to 90 days in jail. [...] Braslavsky, of Irvine, and Marshall, of Mission Viejo, each pleaded guilty in September to a felony charge of grand theft.

• Before announcing their sentences, Goldstein said he wanted to give each man a year behind bars. But the two men already had repaid the victims in exchange for a maximum sentence of 90 days. "I'm placing a great deal of weight on the fact that you made the victims whole," Goldstein told them.

***

• According to [Deputy District Attorney Anna] Winn, the two men would dress in suits and ties to meet the victims, telling them that Braslavsky was the owner and Marshall was his real estate agent. The pair would show the home, make a deal with the victim, hand over a set of house keys and take the victim's money, Winn said. Each victim paid between $3,350 and $4,500 to the pair, she said.(1)

For more, see Men get jail for scamming renters (Carlsbad couple among SoCal victims).

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(1) According to the story, how the pair got keys to the homes is a bit unclear, Winn said, but she suspects Marshall, a licensed real estate agent, was able to access lock boxes containing the keys and made copies of them. After the hearing, Winn said it was the men's parents, not the men themselves, who fronted the money to pay back the victims. Winn said she believes there may be more victims out there."I just find it hard to believe that there are only four," she said. PhonyLandlordScamZeta

Tampa Section 8 Housing Counselor Sentenced For Pocketing $486K+ In Phantom Landlord / Phony Tenant Scam

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa, Florida recently announced the sentencing of former Tampa Housing Authority (THA) official CALVIN COLEMAN, age 44, to 50 months’ imprisonment, 3 years' supervised release and was ordered to pay more than $486,000 in restitution. According to the announcement:

• COLEMAN was employed as a "Section 8 counselor" with the Tampa Housing Authority ("THA"), and was responsible for administering the Housing Choice/Section 8 program. From approximately August 2003 to June 2005 COLEMAN used his position as a Section 8 counselor to pilfer over $486,000 from public funds for his personal use.

• COLEMAN, along with other former THA officials CARLTON MILES and MARIO LOVETT, recruited numerous individuals to serve as bogus landlords, even though they neither owned approved rental properties nor had leases with legitimate Section 8 approved tenants. [...] Once the landlords had received their fraudulent subsidy check, COLEMAN took a substantial "kickback" from the proceeds.(1)

For more, see: Former Tampa Housing Authority Official Sentenced in Section 8 Fraud Scheme.

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(1) Since December 2007, nineteen individuals, including former THA officials CARLTON MILES and MARIO LOVETT, have been charged with theft of federal housing subsidy payments through the bogus landlord scheme. Seventeen of those defendants have pleaded guilty to felony charges. Only four remain to be sentenced. LOVETT was previously sentenced to 18 month’s imprisonment and MILES to 24 months’ imprisonment for their roles in the scheme. PhonyLandlordScamZeta

Fresno Cops Foil Fake Landlord Rent Scam; Charge Suspect With Renting Vacant Homes In Foreclosure Belonging To Others

In Fresno, California, The Fresno Bee reports:

• An elaborate scam taking advantage of the mortgage crisis unraveled, authorities say, when Kristen Ables found another family living in her Fresno house. "It was a mixture of disbelief and anger" that she felt on learning that she had been victimized, Ables said Wednesday as Fresno police announced the arrest of Sam Haley, 66.

***

• Police allege that Haley, who they said lost his real estate license in 1979 because of fraudulent business practices, carried out the scam at least 13 times -- and was likely to keep doing it if the unexpected visit by Ables hadn't uncovered the scheme.

• Fresno police detective Donnie Dinnell uncovered evidence at Haley's home and business, Capital Investments Inc., that indicated he had people lined up to rent 19 other houses, police Chief Jerry Dyer said. Dinnell also found evidence that Haley had identified up to 126 other homes that he could possibly use in the scheme, Dyer said.

Reportedly, the cops said that Haley pocketed $26,000 over the seven months he allegedly ran the scam and faces felony theft charges.

For more, see Fresno housing scam uncovered (Police say man rented homes to victims who didn't know he was not the owner).

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Ex-Real Estate Agent Cops Plea To Pocketing $1,500 For Renting Vacant Foreclosed Home That Didn't Belong To Him

In Greeley, Colorado, the Greeley Tribune reports:

• A former Greeley real estate agent pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of felony theft in a deal that dropped a second count of theft and a forgery case. Gunnar Weber took the deal, which calls for an open sentencing option of two to six years in prison. Prosecutors said Weber took money from a couple for a home he claimed he owned. The district attorney’s office said Weber accepted and cashed two checks in the amount of $1,527.77 that the couple had given him for rent. Later the couple learned the home was actually in foreclosure and did not belong to Weber.

Source: Man pleads guilty in real estate theft.

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Orlando-Area Cops Bag Suspect In Phony Landlord Scam; Accused Of Breaking Into Vacant House, Changing Locks, Renting Premises To Unwitting Tenant

In Orlando, Florida, WFTV Channel 9 reports:

• A home for rent was the perfect price in the perfect place, but there was just one problem. The landlord didn't really own it. Detectives said the self-proclaimed landlord broke into a vacant home and changed the locks. He then rented it out to a single mother. He would have gotten away with it, too, if neighbors living near the home [...] didn't get suspicious.

• Detectives said the home may not be the only vacant house the guy was using. In fact, they're concerned he may be running a similar scheme on renters all around Central Florida. It's simple enough. Put your own locks on the doors of empty homes, hand out the new keys to renters and take off with the money. Paul Mosher, 60, wouldn't say a thing about the $1,500 he swindled from an Orange County single mother. He rented her a stately Waterford Lakes home he never even had permission to enter. [...] The real owner is allowing the family to stay rent-free for another month, but that does little to calm the victim's rattled nerves.

For more, see Single Mom Swindled By Fake Landlord.

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Sacramento Cops Probe Possible Rent Scam Involving Foreclosed Home In Gated Community

In Sacramento, California, The Sacramento Bee reports:

• Sacramento police are investigating a possible scam involving the rental of foreclosed homes to unsuspecting victims. [...] The home on Clubside Lane had been abandoned and bank owned for about two years, neighbors said,(1) but a couple moved in over the weekend.

• On the front window two signs were posted warning people, especially state and federal employees, against trespassing on the property and that the occupants have "the unalienable right to self-preservation right to repel force by force -- self defense -- justifiable homicide."

For more, see:

• Sacramento police suspect scam involving rental of foreclosed $1 million home,
• Bizarre signs come out as mystery pair move into upscale Sacramento neighborhood.

For story update (2-10-09), see Natomas Rental Fraud Brings Arrest Warrants.

(1) Reportedly, the 3,361-square-foot home sold in 2006 for $865,000, assessor's records show. Neighbors say the home has been on the market seven times since then and that the last owner moved out more than a year ago, has been vacant ever since, the report states. PhonyLandlordScamZeta

Another Prospective Tenant Falls Victim To Phony Landlord Scam

In Dale City, Virginia, Newschannel 8 reports:

• A local family who thought they had found the perfect home ended up losing more than $1,000 to an accused scam artist. The five-bedroom house on a quiet Dale City street was everything Patricia Keith had always wanted. "Well, it was a dream," she said. But despite putting down more than $1,000 in a security deposit and first month's rent, Keith never had the chance the call the house home.

• Sources say 24-year-old Armeca Wright is now facing fraud charges for trying to rent a house that didn't belong to her. "It took us awhile to actually scrape our money together," said Keith. "We've been homeless since 2007." [...] This is yet another negative by-product of the foreclosure crisis. Con artists break into and try to pawn off vacant and abandoned homes to unsuspecting people.

For the story, see Virginia Woman Scammed While Trying to Rent Home.

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Two Cop Plea For Bilking Prospective Tenants By Renting Foreclosed Homes They Didn't Own; Used Craigslist To Post Ads

In Vista, California, XETV-TV Channel 6 reports:

• Two Orange County men who bilked thousands of dollars from people by renting out homes they didn't own pleaded guilty Wednesday to grand theft. Alexander Braslavsky, 34, and Anthony Patrick Marshall, 38, will be sentenced Nov. 10 in Vista. Under the terms of a plea agreement, they must pay $15,000 in compensation to four victims by the sentencing date. They each face up to 90 days in jail.

• "I'm happy that the victims will get all their money back up front," said Deputy District Attorney Anna Winn. The prosecutor said restitution was her top goal in reaching the plea bargain. Under the plea deal, two other counts of grand theft were dismissed, as well as conspiracy and attempted grand theft charges. Winn said Braslavsky and Marshall -- who has a real estate license -- posted ads on the Craigslist Web site for five foreclosed homes in Carlsbad, Corona and Stanton and rented them out.

For more, see Pair Plead Guilty to Renting Homes They Didn't Own.

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Ocean City Cops Warn Against Phony Landlord Rental Scam Promoted On Craigslist

In Ocean City, New Jersey, WPVI-TV Channel 6 reports:

• Police in Ocean City, New Jersey are warning of a real estate scam. Investigators say the scammers will copy online listings for legitimate real estate sales, and then re-post them on the website Craigslist as a rental. Then, they collect rental applications, along with fees. Investigators say the contact for these listings is from a foreign country. Anyone who has information about this internet scam, or feels they have been victimized, should contact the Ocean City Police Detective Bureau at (609)399-9111.

Source: Police warn of online rental scam.

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Police Detective: "Rent Skimming, It Is Epidemic In The City Of L.A. Right Now"

PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer reports:

• With the national foreclosure rate still climbing, some chose to live in foreclosed homes while others have been the victims of "rent skimmers," people who pretend to own a foreclosed property and scam tenants out of thousands of dollars in security deposits and fees.

For more, including link to the video broadcast of the story, see Glut of Foreclosed Homes Encourages Scams, Desperation.

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Rent Scams Target Landlords As Well As Tenants

In Santa Cruz County, California, the San Jose Mercury News reports:

• With foreclosures rising and affordable rentals hard to find in Santa Cruz County, scammers are teasing prospective tenants and landlords with offers on Craigslist that are too good to be true. "It's getting outrageous there are so many scams," said Robin Gysin of the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office. "There is no sheriff on the site -- it's buyer beware."

***

• Gysin related a situation where a tenant claimed to be a professor coming from Africa to teach at UC Santa Cruz. He sent the property manager a cashier's check for more than $8,000 to cover first and last month's rent and the cost of furnishing the empty house, then asked the manager to send him the unspent portion. All of their communications were by e-mail, and the property mangaer lost $5,000.

For the story, see For rent scams increasing in Santa Cruz; Craigslist shoppers beware. PhonyLandlordScamZeta

Vacant Home Hijackers On The Radar For Dallas-Area Cops, Prosecutors

Buried in a recent story from Dallas County, Texas on scammers hijacking vacant homes involved in the foreclosure process and renting them out, The Dallas Morning News references these recent efforts to prosecute the alleged perpetrators:

• [O]n Thursday, a judge convicted pastor Jackie Lewis, 53, of Cedar Hill, on one count of securing execution of a document by deception in connection with renting a foreclosed home in Cedar Hill. The charge is normally a third-degree felony, but because of a 1994 theft conviction, he could face two to 20 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for March 6.

***

• DeSoto, Cedar Hill and Lancaster investigators have all arrested [Morris] Mosley on charges related to the foreclosure scheme. Late last month, [police] arrested Mosley outside a southeast Oak Cliff home that Mosley wanted to rent out. He's being held on two counts of suspicion of burglary of a habitation and one count of securing execution of a document by deception. Mosley, 48, is being held at Lew Sterrett Justice Center. His trial is set for April 20.

For the story, see Scammers finding open door at foreclosed homes.

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