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SAN DIEGO — The 10News I-Team uncovered a new-age version of the age-old confidence game — the rental scam.
10News investigators witnessed a burglary taking place in a local neighborhood.
However, it was just one of the crimes going on at the time.
The man seen entering a home doesn’t own the house.
“We went along with it, gave him the benefit of the doubt, and lo and behold, we got screwed in the end,” said Justin Bina.
Bina is one of the victims of a clever rental scam working around San Diego.
The unidentified man seen entering the home is allegedly a low-level gangster from the East coast. The I-Team has learned he is the likely ringleader of a group of other accomplices.
Another victim, Ben Taley, told 10News, “The guy was being kind of shady. Once I gave him the deposit, I asked for his license information. He said he didn’t have it on him and I said I didn’t feel comfortable. He got kind of awkward.”
According to the I-Team, the scam is simple and clever.
It begins with a team of people using untraceable cell phones.
The group searched the Multiple Listing Service used by realtors, selecting vacant, high-end homes for sale.
They then cut and pasted pictures of the homes into a rental ad on the Craigslist Web site along with their cell phone numbers.
