Pinellas Park senior loses thousands of dollars in rental scam

A Pinellas Park woman must find a new home for her and her two grandchildren after she discovered the landlord she paid thousands of dollars does not actually own the property she moved into.

The incident is now the subject of a fraud investigation by the Pinellas Park Police Department. It is one of several scams targeting renters across the Tampa Bay area.

This is the fourth installment of “Housing Horror Stories,” an occasional series exploring the trials and tribulations that Tampa Bay residents have faced in a white-hot real estate market.

An exterior view of the home at 6424 80th Ave N, in Pinellas Park. Bambi Jones, 68, is the victim of a rental scam and is now looking for a new house to rent as she is being forced to move out of this house.

[ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

Bambi Jones, 68, saw 6424 80th Ave. N listed for rent on several websites including Zillow and Craigslist. When she got a call from a man purporting to be the landlord, she took him up on his offer to tour the house.

He directed her to a website where she signed up for a self-guided tour after providing a photo of her license.

At first she was skeptical about not meeting face to face. That’s what she had done the last time she had looked for an apartment, nearly a decade ago.

But friends and relatives assured her that this was just how things worked these days. Everything is done online, they told her.

Just to be safe, she had a friend look up the home on the property appraiser’s website. The owner was listed as an LLC, which made it difficult to verify who it really belonged to.

Still, there were few options in her price range, and a 3-bedroom for $1,055 a month was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up on. “I’m thinking, oh wow this is a blessing,” Jones said.

Bambi Jones, 68, talks on the phone with a real estate agent while waiting to visit a house for rent on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 in St. Petersburg. Jones is the victim of a rental scam and is now looking for a new house to rent as she is being forced to move out of her current house. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

After viewing the home, the supposed landlord texted her a lease agreement and she signed it. She used the payment app Zelle to send him first month’s rent, last month’s rent and half of a security deposit – almost $3,000 in total.

She and her grandchildren started moving in on July 28. Four days later, she got a call from the Pinellas Park Police Department telling her that they were waiting for her back at the house.

When she arrived, an officer along with a representative from Progress Residential, the rental company that actually managed the home, told her that she had signed a fraudulent lease and that she’d have to move out.

Jones has until August 18 to vacate the property.

Bambi Jones, 68, in front, works to pull up info on the home they are looking at to rent while accompanied by her grand daughter Zyana, 15, on left, and friend Lois McKee, in center, on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 in St. Petersburg. Jones is the victim of a rental scam and is now looking for a new house to rent as she is being forced to move out of her current house. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

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In a statement sent via email, Progress Residential said it is working with law enforcement to try and crack down on a growing number of rental scams that have surfaced across the country.

“Progress has a dedicated team focused on researching and investigating reports of fraudulent activity or potential scams,” the statement read.

The Pinellas County Office of Consumer Protection has launched an initiative to stop rental scams at the source. Anna Marie Fiallos, an investigator in that department said they have gotten more than 300 fraudulent rental listings removed from various websites in the past month.

“A lot of the time, people are in a situation where they’re eager to find a place to live,” she said. “Scammers will prey on that and play up a sense of urgency to get you to do something without thinking.”

Bambi Jones, 68, works from her phone as her grandson, Zion, 13, heads to his room with boxes in the living room and kitchen of the home they are preparing to move out of on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 in Pinellas Park. Jones is the victim of a rental scam and is now looking for a new house to rent as she is being forced to move out of her current house. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

The best way to avoid being scammed is to do your homework, she said. Before spending on money on a rental, here are some things to consider:

• How much does it cost? If the rent is considerably cheaper than similar listings in that area, chances are it’s too good to be true.
• Who owns the property? You can look up the owner on your local property appraiser’s website. If the owner is listed as an LLC, try searching Sunbiz.org to see what names or addresses are associated with the company.
• Have you seen the same property also listed for sale? This is a big red flag. Scammers will often copy and paste listings directly from real estate websites.
• Have you met anyone face to face? Even though self-guided tours are becoming more common, it’s still standard practice for a landlord or property manager to meet with prospective renters at their request. “They should want to meet you as much as you want to meet them for their own safety and security,” Fiallos said.
• What form of payment are they asking for? Scammers tend to cash, money orders and payment apps like Venmo, Cash App or Zelle. Those transactions are harder to trace and make it more difficult for victims to recoup their losses.

Bambi Jones, 68, leaves to pick up food on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 in Pinellas Park. Jones is the victim of a rental scam and is now looking for a new house to rent as she is being forced to move out of her current house. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]

With the deadline looming, Jones said she has yet to find a new rental and may have to move into a friend’s place. She fears she may never get back the money she lost. A friend set up a GoFundme for her and Jones is now considering picking up a second job.

“I know there’s evil in the world but this is just crazy,” she said. “You’re talking about the roof over someone’s head.”

If you have a housing horror story of your own, we want to hear about it. Fill out the form below for an opportunity to be featured in the series.