Landlord Scammers Getting Valley Residents Kicked Out

Rental prices are higher than ever now, which is creating the perfect environment for scammers to prey on renters.

The average rent price for a two bedroom is up 24% from last year alone, now costing renters around $1,610 per month.

ABC 15 reported that now residents are getting kicked out due to landlord scams.

One mother, Mary, and her daughter, Madison, experienced a nightmare after finding a home on Facebook Marketplace. Mary said, "When I came across this house, beautiful house, nice price, I couldn't pass it up." The house was listed for a lower price than others like it. Mary said, "He said it was reduced because I was going through the owner of the property instead of realty."

The owner of the home, Charlie Williams, said he couldn't meet her at the house because he is a truck driver. Instead, he wanted a $2,000 deposit sent through CashApp.

Mary sent $1,450 and agreed to pay the rest at a later date. Williams told her to go to the house and he would send a code for the door when she arrived. Mary said that he sent the code and it worked so everything seemed legitimate.

That's when everything went wrong. Madison said, "I hear people knocking on the windows and back door and everything, so I go open the door and there are 2 cops."

Turns out, Williams didn't own the house. But to continue the illusion, he even called the cops and told them they need to leave.

Just days after moving in, Mary and Madison had to move out. Mary said, "I'm pretty much up a creek without a paddle."