>> NOW TO OUR NEWS, 4 JAX. I TEAM INVESTIGATION RENTAL RIPOFF WITH SO MANY PEOPLE
TRYING TO FIND A HOME TO RENT
AND GRABBING WHAT THEY CAN
QUICKLY. YOU COULD BE SCANNED
AT A THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
JUST LIKE ONE GRAD STUDENT IN
SAINT JOHNS COUNTY. AND SHE
ACTUALLY MOVED IN AND LIVED IN
THE HOME FOR ALMOST A WEEK
BEFORE FINDING OUT SHE HAD
RENTED THE HOME AT ALL. IT
WASN’T LEGALLY ALLOWED TO BE
THERE.
>> CONSUMER INVESTIGATOR
LAUREN BOEHNER IS HERE.
LAUREN, TO EXPLAIN HOW THE
GRAD STUDENT WAS SCAMMED AND
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE SURE
IT DOESN’T HAPPEN TO YOU. YES,
I’M HERE TO HELP. SO RENTAL
SCAMS ARE NOTHING NEW. BUT THE
SCAMMERS.
>> THEY HAVE SO GOOD THAT EVEN
WHEN THE POLICE SHOWED UP TO
FOLLOW REPORTS, THE DEPUTIES
SAID HE’S NEVER SEEN A SCAM GO
THIS FAR.
>> HOME SWEET HOME OR AT LEAST
THAT’S WHAT VERANDA RICARDY
THOUGHT SHE WAS GETTING. IT
ALL SEEMS SO REAL PARTY WAS
LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO LIVE IN
JANUARY TO START GRAD SCHOOL,
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAINT
AUGUSTINE. WE WENT ONLINE AND
WE FOUND THE LISTING THROUGH
CRAIGSLIST AND THEN WE SAW
THAT IT WAS ON A BUNCH OF ALL
THE OTHER, YOU KNOW,
APARTMENTS DOT COM, RIGHT DOT
COM. SO WE’RE LIKE, OKAY, IT’S
LEGIT SALE. PARTY SAYS THE
RENTAL PRICE AND PHONE NUMBERS
WERE DIFFERENT ON EACH
WEBSITE, A RED FLAG FROM THE
BEGINNING.
>> BUT THE MAN SHE SPOKE TO
CLAIMED TO BE THE OWNER HAD AN
ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING.
>> SO I CONTACTED HIM. HE JUST
SAID LIKE ONE, INCLUDED LIKE
UTILITIES AND LIKE A CLEANING
SERVICE. AND THE OTHER ONE IS
JUST THE HOUSE RENT, WHICH
SOUNDED PRETTY DID YOU GET
INTO THE HOUSE? IT WAS A
LOCKBOX. SO HE JUST SIDE TEXT
ME WHEN YOU’RE THERE. I’LL
GIVE YOU A CODE TO THE LOCK
BOX WHICH MADE US FEEL LIKE
THIS WASN’T A SCAM BECAUSE HE
WAS ABLE TO HAVE AN ACCESS, A
LOCKBOX. THE PARTY WAS ABLE TO
GET IN NO PROBLEM THAT WHO
COMMUNICATED BACK AND FORTH BY
PHONE AND TEXT. WE’VE TALKED
TO HIM PLENTY OF TIMES BUT
PARTY SIGNED WHAT SHE THOUGHT
WAS A LEGITIMATE CONTRACT. THE
MAN WHO CLAIMED TO OWN THE
HOUSE EVEN WENT AS FAR AS
SENDING HER A COPY OF A
DRIVER’S LICENSE TO PROVE HE
WAS REAL GETS THE LITTLE
THINGS LIKE THAT THAT HE KNEW
TO SAY TO KEEP IT KIND OF A
SAY.
>> IN TOTAL RICARDY SENT THEM
AND $3,000 THURSDAY. L THE
NAME ON THE ACCOUNT WAS
DIFFERENT THAN THE NAME ON THE
I D. BUT THE MAN TOLD HER
CARTY IT WAS HIS WIFE. THE
MONEY WENT THROUGH AND THAT
NEXT WEEK, RICK HEARTY MOVED
IN. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT, OK,
THIS WAS ACTUALLY A SCAM. THIS
GUY COMES UP KNOCKS ON THE
DOOR AND HE’S JUST BASICALLY
LIKE, ARE YOU GUYS LIVING
HERE?
>> AND SHE WAS LIKE, YES, AND
HE WAS LIKE, NO. THE MAN WHO
KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, A
REPRESENTATIVE FOR AMERICAN
HOMES FOR RENT THE LEASING
COMPANY THAT PROPERTY
APPRAISER RECORDS SHOW.
>> ACTUALLY OWNS THE PROPERTY.
>> THAT’S WHAT WE FOUND OUT
THAT IT WAS A SCAM. AND HE
TOLD US IMMEDIATELY YOU HAVE
TO BE OUT BY MONDAY. THIS WAS
A THURSDAY PARTY FILED A
POLICE REPORT. BUT IN THE END,
SHE WASN’T ALLOWED TO STAY IN
THE HOME. WHEN HE TOLD YOU YOU
HAD TO BE OUT THE HIGH MONDAY.
WE FREAKED OUT WHILE MCCARTY
SCRAMBLE TO FIND A NEW PLACE
TO GO. SHE GAVE US THE PHONE
NUMBER OF THE MAN SHE WAS
COMMUNICATING WITH IT.
>> MESSAGE AFTER THE TONE.
>> HI, MY NAME IS LAUREN
VERNO’S. I TRIED CALLING THE
MAN ABOUT THE PROPERTY
RICCARDI WAS LIVING IN BUT
ONLY GOT HIS VOICE MAIL. THEN
I RECEIVED THIS TEXT TELLING
ME THE PROPERTY I WAS
INQUIRING ABOUT WAS NO LONGER
AVAILABLE. BUT HE HAD A
SIMILAR ONE IN THE SAME
NEIGHBORHOOD AVAILABLE FOR
1000, $295 A MONTH.
>> SO WE’RE GOING TO TAKE THAT
ADDRESS. PUT IT IN TO GOOGLE
AND SEE WHAT POPS UP. 3
BEDROOMS, 2 AND A HALF BATHS.
BUT THIS ONE’S FOR $2100
COMPARE. THAT WAS $1000 MORE
EXPENSIVE THAN WHAT HE TOLD
ME. SO.
>> THAT’S OBVIOUSLY A RED
FLAG. I ASKED HIM IN ATTACKS
IF HE OWNED THE HOME, HE
REPLIED, I’M THE OWNER.
HOWEVER, OUR SEARCH OF
PROPERTY RECORDS SHOWS
OWNERSHIP BELONGS TO AN LLC
THAT TRACES BACK TO AMERICAN
HOMES FOR RENT. SO HE’S NOT
THE OWNER. WE REACHED OUT TO
AMERICAN HOMES FOR RENT, ABOUT
RICCARDI SITUATION AND WHAT I
ENCOUNTERED. THE COMPANY SAYS
THEY HAVE A RANGE OF TOOLS IN
PLACE TO COUNTER AND REDUCE
THE RISK OF RENTAL SCAMS
OCCURRING AT OUR PROPERTIES.
GOING ON TO SAY WE DO NOT LIST
ON CRAIGSLIST, FACEBOOK
MARKETPLACE AND OTHER SITES
WHERE FRAUD IS MOST PREVALENT,
WHICH IN HINDSIGHT, RICK
HEARTY ADMITS SHOULD HAVE
RAISED MORE CONCERNS EVEN IN
OUR MINDS ARE LIKE THIS COULD
BE A SCAM. BUT AS FIRST-TIME
RENTERS, THERE’S SO MANY
THINGS THAT WE DON’T KNOW
WHICH NOT ONLY COST HER
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, BUT ALSO
DASHED HOPES FOR LIVING IN
WHAT SHE THOUGHT WAS GOING TO
BE THE PERFECT HOME.
>> CRAZY STORY RIGHT TO THE
GOOD NEWS IS WE’RE CARTY WAS
ABLE TO FIND ANOTHER HOME
BEFORE THAT FRIDAY DEADLINE.
AND AGAIN, LOOKING BACK, SHE
SAYS SHE WISHES SHE KNEW WHAT
SHE KNOWS NOW. SO LET’S TAKE A
LOOK AT SOME OF THE WAYS YOU
CAN AVOID A RENTAL RIPOFF.
FIRST BE CAUTIOUS WHEN YOU
FIND A HOME ON CRAIGSLIST.
IT’S NOT THAT YOU CAN FIND A
HOME FOR RENT THERE. BUT CHECK
WITH THE PROPERTY APPRAISER’S
OFFICE FIRST. FIND OUT WHO
ACTUALLY OWNS THE PROPERTY AND
GO DIRECTLY TO THAT WEBSITE
ARE VERIFIED THAT PERSON. IN
THIS CASE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
AMERICAN HOMES FOR RENT, THE
DIFFERENT PRICING HATS. ALSO A
HUGE MAJOR RED FLAG. IF THE
COST IS LOWER THAN THE SAME
PROPERTY LISETTE ON OTHER
WEBSITES. BE CAREFUL AND ALSO
DON’T SEND MONEY TO A STRANGER
THROUGH ZELLE. WE GOT THIS
ADVICE FROM ZELL ITSELF WHEN
WE CONTACTED THE COMPANY ABOUT
RICARDY SITUATION, A
REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME ZAL IS
DESIGNED FOR FAMILY FRIENDS
AND PEOPLE WHO KNOW AND TRUST
EACH OTHER. NOT STRANGERS.
CRAZY STORY. I KNOW JOE, NICE
TROY.
>> LAUREN, WE KNOW A LOT OF
PEOPLE USE PAYMENT APPS. IS
THERE ANY WAY FOR THE YOUNG
WOMAN IN THIS STORY TO GET HER
$3,000 BACK?
>> SO UNFORTUNATELY, I ASKED
SELL THE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD
ME THE COMPANY DOES HAVE A
FRAUD DEPARTMENT, HOWEVER,
BECAUSE L IS DESIGNED FOR
PEOPLE WHO KNOW EACH OTHER,
NOT STRANGERS. IT DOESN’T
OFFER PURCHASE PROTECTIONS
LIKE MOST CREDIT CARDS DO. SO
IT’S GOING TO BE VERY UNLIKELY
FOR HER TO GET THAT MONEY
BACK. SO HEED THESE WARNINGS
AND TIPS AND MAKE SURE YOU
STAY SAFE FROM A RENTAL