A family recently moved to Colorado and rented a house in Aurora, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a house rental scam.
House Rental Scam Nearly Drove A Family To Homelessness In Colorado|todayusnews
Families have been fallen victim to house rental scam that is usually in Craigslist.
A Russell Thompson claiming to be a private landlord said to the house rental victim that they were renting out a home for $1,900 per month on behalf of Invitation Homes.
Phillip Rumple, who found the rental listing on Craigslist, took several precautions to ensure that the deal was genuine. Despite his efforts, the house rental scam has left the family on the brink of homelessness.
To ensure that the said rental listing is not a house rental scam, Rumple, requested evidence of ownership from the landlord. The property manager even provided documentation confirming ownership.
Rumple proceeded to complete background and credit checks. Additionally, he visited the property in Colorado with a real estate agent, making sure to see it was not a house rental scam before finalizing any agreements.
Phillip Rumple stated that when everything was finished, they had paid a total of $5,700 for the move-in but it turned out to be a house rental scam.
Rumple received everything necessary to open the door and make it his home, but he soon discovered that he wasn’t the only one who had fallen victim to the house rental scam.
According to house rental scam victim, Phillip Rumple, after they settled to the said house, three days later, another lady named April Welch shows up, who also signed a nearly identical lease to the Rumples that also turned out to be a house rental scam, Denver7 reports.
Denver7 added that the house rental scam victim, Welch, was also moving from out of state and found the listing on Craigslist and paid Thompson $800 via CashApp. The Welchs and the Rumples tried reaching out to Thompson but to no avail. Both family filed reports of the house rental scam with the Aurora Police Department.
An Invitation Homes spokesperson confirmed that the company does not advertise on Craigslist. They advised individuals interested in renting their properties to contact them directly through their official website.
Invitation Homes expressed their frustration that their properties are being used on the said house rental scam.
READ MORE|Family approaches homelessness after falling victim to rental scam
