Real estate scam surfaces in Milford
MILFORD -- A man awaiting a liver transplant was nearly scammed out of $3,300 on Tuesday, when he attempted to rent a Walnut Beach house through an ad on Craigslist.
Joseph Tomasso said he responded to the ad, which had interior photos and the standard information contained in a real estate listing, but he became suspicious when he got an email, purportedly from the owner who claimed to be on a "mission trip to West Africa.''
"The language, it just didn't sound like an American person. And this person, `Amy Matthews,' was really concerned about the safety of the gas stove, but they are real common here and they are safe. Maybe not where she is from,'' Tomasso said.
There is a twist to this scam, he said -- a local person who arranges to meet at the property and pressures the potential renter to hand over a deposit check. "What this person does is put up photos of houses and apartments for rent that they find on a real estate site, but they have nothing to do with it. If you meet them they tell you that the owner has the keys but you know what the inside looks like and there are a lot of people interested,'' said Tomasso, a former emergency medical technician.
The ad offered to rent the house for $1,100 per month, but asked for the first and last month's rent and a security deposit. The house that Tomasso and his family were interested in is actually for rent -- for $1,500 per month.
Cathy Vincelette, a real estate agent with Ditchkus Realty in Devon has the listing and she said she was shocked when Tomasso called her. "Right away I called the (Federal Trade Commission) and the police. That's my listing."
Claudia Farrell, spokeswoman for the FTC, said her agency regulates the Internet, but that web-based scams are typically handled by local law enforcement.
"I have heard of this scam; it seems to happen in New Haven a lot. They'll drive you by an apartment and say `if you want it, you'd better write a check right away,'' Vincelette said. "If it's an in-demand location you might feel pressure. But would you really send money to South Africa for an apartment in Milford?''
Tomasso said the owner of the West Haven condo that he currently rents wants to sell it and he currently has a month-to-month lease. "I need something stable, for at least two years, while I recover from my surgery. This one even allowed dogs. My son was looking forward to that.
"But I'm on a fixed income due to illness and if I lost that money it would have really devastated us,'' he said.
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Real estate scam surfaces in Milford