Lady caught operating rental rip-off
Catherine Hawley studies.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Fraudsters are profiting from the excessive costs and low stock within the housing market, preying on individuals determined for a spot to dwell.
A Clearwater girl is behind bars for scamming a Bay Space household with a rental rip-off.
After six weeks of looking, Karey Whitfield thought she lastly discovered the proper home for her household.
“There was a pool out again and I used to be like, oh yeah, I will take this one,” she stated.
She linked with Ewelina Drozd after seeing an advert on Fb. They first checked out a property on Magnolia Drive in Clearwater.
“I texted her and stated, ‘I’m right here.’ She let me in, we toured the home,” stated Whitfield.
After the walk-through, Drozd talked about she had one other rental for a similar value however greater on Belcher Highway. Whitfield knew immediately it was the one and requested for the lease.
“I’m a notary, so I take a look at paperwork on a regular basis for individuals. Seemed it over, regarded good to me. We crammed out the little spots that we wanted to fill out, and I signed the lease,” Whitfield said.
She gave Drozd $1,800 in money for the primary month’s hire and safety deposit and left with keys in hand.
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Whitfield got here again a couple of hours later along with her husband and daughter to welcome them dwelling.
She stated, “There is a large large truck within the driveway and a man standing there, and I am like, hey, can I assist you to? And he was like, I am the contractor. And I am just like the contractor?”
Whitfield didn’t see any purple flags, however she had been scammed. She needs different individuals to be vigilant so they don’t grow to be a sufferer too.
Clearwater police advocate staying away from social media for the home hunt and looking out up potential properties by yourself to confirm they’re truly for hire.
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“Simply go together with a good realtor or an actual property company, someone you realize, someone you can analysis and know that they are official,” defined Clearwater Police Spokesperson Rob Shaw.
Drozd is charged with housebreaking of an unoccupied dwelling. Whitfield snapped an image of her ID together with the entire paperwork the day she signed the lease, which helped detectives bust the 44-year-old girl.
To this point, police have been in a position to return most of Whitfield’s cash.
Anybody who could also be a sufferer of this rental rip-off is urged to name the police.