A Columbus man is living under the grace of a stranger after their hunt for an affordable rental home ended with them as the prey in what they're calling a scam.
Thomas Woods, and his partner Catherine Krack, found a listing for the home on Craigslist for $850, a steal for the 1,200 sq ft house near Upper Arlington. Thinking it was a coronavirus-related price-cut, he reached out and toured the home within 30 minutes. One rental application, $2,100 in bitcoin and gift cards, and two days later--Woods, and the family were moved in.
"I have three children, Krack said. "They were all excited and it’s hard to find three teenagers something that they’re all excited about."
Ten days later, the other shoe dropped. The actual realtors handling the rental of the home broke the news: they had been scammed. Woods and Krack say the supposed landlord hadn't given them a lease, saying it was coming. Without, they had nothing to show for, and no choice but to move out.
"When they knocked on the door, I knew what was going on," Woods said. "This is a scam. I done gave this man $2,100 and I have nothing to show for it, other than the receipts."
Woods says the realtors showed him the real listing on their company's website, showing the home for rent for $2,000 a month. It now also sports a warning, telling potential renters the listing is not available on Craigslist or Facebook. We reached out to the realtors but did not hear back.
At least two listings for the home exist on Craigslist, one for $850 and another $1,500 monthly rent. One listing has a local phone number, the other from Oregon. We called both, but no one answered.
"That’s where the hook got the sinker buddy, I tell ya," Woods said.
After looking for a roof, Woods and Krack got in touch with Roland Segieth. Segieth, an acquaintance of Krack's uncle, runs a fundraiser for The Open Shelter, a Columbus-based non-profit helping the homeless. He offered them the space in his home, while Krack's kids stay with her uncle.
"It’s the right thing to do, especially when somebody’s been done wrong," Segeith said. "He had his hopes up so high and so did Katie. They had their hopes up so high and what a downfall."
Woods has come to terms he likely won't get his money back and has filed a police report. His hope now is to find some help to stand back up and to let others know the red flags.
The Takeaways
This is not the first time this happened in Central Ohio. Do your research: if the same pictures are tied to more than one listing or address, that's a red flag. If landlords want you to pay money before moving in, via gift cards, bitcoin, Western Union, etc., that's another red flag. And if landlords don't want to give you a lease right away, stop and move on.