CORAM, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — A 26-year-old mother was thrilled to be getting a place of her own, an apartment in Coram she would have shared with her 5-year-old daughter. But instead of moving in, she is now raising awareness about a vicious Long Island scam that robbed her of her life savings.
“He showed me the house, the laundry, the dishwasher. So I was getting excited,” the Long Island woman, who was planning to move out of her parents’ house, told 1010 WINS.
She then paid the man $6,000 in cash for what she thought were fees associated with renting the space.
“He made me look like everything was real, he gave me the paper and the key,” she explained.
But when the woman went to clean the apartment and prepare for move-in, other people started coming in, claiming they also rented the apartment.
“I’m like, ‘No, I'm gonna rent this apartment.’ They’re like, ‘No, I’m gonna be here,’” she recounted. “So we were arguing back and forth. After that I was like, oh my God, this is so weird.”
They all had been the victim of a scam. The apartment, which the woman and others found on social media, was in a foreclosed house owned by the bank.
Suffolk County Police early Saturday released a crime alert regarding the scam. In the alert, law enforcement referenced a different victim, who paid $3,900 to the man who “posted a house for rent on social media that was not available.”
The 26-year-old victim decided to share her story to prevent others from getting cheated.
“My best advice is to not believe everything on social media,” she said.
Authorities are offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.