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Woman Moves Into Home, Finds Out It's A Scam

By Nathalie Pozo
Published  December 17, 2015 1:12am EST
News
FOX 5 Atlanta

MARIETTA, Ga. - A Marietta woman moves into a house and after living there for nearly two weeks finds out it was a scam.

Rosie Brown said she saw an ad on Craigslist for a rental company.  Brown met with a woman she said posed as an employee for Progress Residential.  The single mother of three said the fake realtor gave her the code to access keys to a home in Marietta.

"She had to have a copy of my ID, she had to have five references, she had to have proof of everything, income, she had to have everything, like it was legitimate," said Brown. "Nothing about it made me feel uncomfortable."

The scammer met with Brown to sign a lease with the name of the rental property company listed on top and gave her the keys to the house.  Brown said the woman emailed her a receipt after she paid the deposit of $1500. Brown moved into the house on Dec. 4 and after living there for more than a week, someone representing the rental company came to change the locks.

"He said, when did you move in because I have someone moving in the 18th, I was like no I moved in on the 4th," said Brown. Brown called the fake realtor, but there was no answer and her email bounced back.

"This was the ultimate scam," said Brown.  "If I had to give an Oscar out to her for being the best actor, she gets it."

Brown said she went to the rental company, but there was no record of her. She even says this is the fourth time in one month this has happened to the company. The unemployed single mother said the rental company is trying to work with her, but the house is set to rent to another tenant Friday. 

"Right now I just want to find a job find, find a place for me and my kids to stay so we are not homeless, displaced," said Brown.  "It is a big city here and I cannot let them down like this," said Brown. 

Brown said she moved to Atlanta from Florida with her three children to start over and the money she used towards the deposit and her move was all she had, including her school tuition and her children's Christmas gift money.