Man wanted in Gwinnett County for $200K real estate scam arrested

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - The man wanted for scamming at least two people out of $200,000 in a real estate scam has been arrested, according to law enforcement. Jaylen Anderson is currently being held at the Gwinnett County Jail. 

ORIGINAL STORY

A 23-year-old man is wanted for leading two people to believe they were buying land in Ellenwood. 

Gwinnett County police say the two victims contacted them in January 2023 and said they responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad and were led to believe they were purchasing property in Ellenwood.

They were instructed to wire large amounts of money to what they were told was a law group in Atlanta. When the victims arrived at the law offices on their closing dates, they discovered they had been scammed.

Detectives began investigating and, after a lengthy investigation, identified Jaylen Anderson, 23, as their suspect. He has been charged with four counts of theft by deception, identity theft, and records and reports of currency transactions. 

Couple loses $100K in Facebook Marketplace home buying scam

Investigators say Anderson posed as a representative of a law firm and stole the money using bogus listings on the Facebook Marketplace.

Luz Holdsworth and her husband worked hard to save up to buy a home. "We spent months and months saving for this money," Holdsworth said.

In January, the couple saw a listing for a house in Ellenwood. "This person, who went by the name of Noah Roberts," Holdsworth said.

Holdsworth says it seemed like the real deal. "We went out there and took pictures," she said.

Holdsworth says the man even gave them a code to unlock the house. "I saw the house. I walked inside and inspected the house." When asked if he had any reason to believe this was a scam, Holdsworth answered "No, because he made us do a lot of paperwork."

The couple signed the contract and transferred a $2,500 deposit, the rest a short time later. "The $98,000 that was left, we did a day before we were due to go to Downtown Atlanta and do the closing," Holdsworth said.

They went to close on the house at the law office the man on the other end claimed to represent.

"They were like ‘No, we don’t have anyone by that name here,’" Holdsworth said.

The couple had been scammed. "More than $100,000, yes sir," she said.

Gwinnett County police say a crook fleeced at least $200,000 from two different sets of victims. "Each of them wired over $100,000 to the suspect," said Cpl. Juan Madiedo.

Investigators pinpointed a suspect, "Jaylen Anderson, last known to have resided in Fairburn. He’s 23 years old," Madiedo said.

Police say Anderson seemed convincing. "He was masking his name, obviously, using different aliases, he would mask his phone number, his email addresses. He made it appear legitimate like he did represent a law group here in Atlanta," Madiedo said.

However, it was all a ruse. "I have been devastated," Holdsworth said. "There’s no way I’m getting my money back."

Police say Anderson is suspected in similar scams around metro Atlanta. He faces numerous charges, including theft and identity theft. 

Anderson’s whereabouts are currently unknown. If anyone has any information to share in this case, please contact GCPD detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.

How to avoid home buying scams

Experts say look for these warning signs to avoid getting scammed: lack of proper documentation; pressure to act immediately; unrealistic guarantees; and demands to wire money.

Police say to meet the representative trying to sell the home in person, avoid transferring money, and call the closing company before you sign a deal.