EVERETT -- The owner of an Everett home says several people knocked on his door asking about a rental ad online. The problem was he didn’t post the ad.
“She was very excited about this house,” Everett resident Andrea Potter said.
Potter’s sister hoped the home on a quiet street would be the perfect fit for her family.
“He said he had a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in North Everett for $600 a month,” Potter said.
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House rental scam
Q13 FOX News
When her sister responded to the Craigslist.com ad, Potter said, the scam started.
An email from someone calling himself Albert said he was thinking of selling the house but decided at the last minute to rent it out instead.
He claimed to be in South Africa on a Christian crusade.
“He was saying, 'I am a Christian, believe in me, have faith in me,'" Potter said.
The man had an answer for everything, even stating that money wasn’t the priority.
“They are on missionary work they want to help others and make rent cheaper,” Potter said.
In exchange for cheap rent, the man said, they were looking for a long-term tenant who would keep the property well-maintained.
“He’s looking for people who needed this now, maybe someone who is lower-income,” Potter said.
The Everett resident says her sister was about to send a $1,200 deposit.
“She would have been out of $1,200, she would have had her identity stolen, he would have had her Social Security number, her banking information,” Potter said.
Luckily, Potter knew better.
“He kept on persisting and demanding money,” Potter said.
She called a realtor, who told her that her sister wasn’t the only one who nearly lost money.
“I’ve already put in a call to the Everett police,” Potter said.
She knows it will be hard to track down the suspect with just an email so she wants others to be aware.
“If it is too good to be true, it’s too good to be true,” Potter said.
Everett police say always tour a rental property and meet the owner or landlord in person before handing over a deposit. If someone claims they are overseas and cannot show the property, it is a red flag, they say.