SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — While searching for her next home, Samantha Sherman got a call. The person on the other end of the line claimed to be the landlord of a San Tan Valley home that checked all her boxes.
Sherman said the landlord got her contact information from an online rental website and was very communicative, but she never met him in person.
She toured the property by using a QR code to gain access information.
“I ended up signing an approval contract with him and then he sent over a lease for me to sign and he signed it," Sherman said.
Everything seemed like it was going perfectly. But it was the start of a renter's nightmare.
Sherman started moving her belongings into the home at the end of January. That's when she learned the landlord wasn't who he was claiming to be.
The property belongs to Invitation Homes, a national leasing and management company.
She told 12News a company representative told her over the phone they didn't know who the landlord was.
"I like start crying. I'm like I've got to call the cops," Sherman said.
Sherman moved out of the property and gave the keys back to the rightful owners, but not before she paid the alleged landlord about $1,500 through Apple Pay.
“After he took that much money from me, you would think he would block me and leave. He’s still texting me to this day. He’s still calling me," Sherman said.
12News tried calling the man several times, but he didn't answer.
Sherman said he denies this is a scam.
"Now, he's asking me for a termination refund fee of $500 and he says if I pay that, he'll refund my money," Sherman said.
Sherman said she's filed reports with the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and her bank.
She has slim hope she'll see her money again.
“I wish," Sherman said. "For a mom to lose that much with two kids, yeah it’s definitely rough.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission, these rental scams often employ legitimate home listings in order to set their trap. As convincing as these scams seem, there are ways for the consumer to protect themselves.
The FTC advises that you search online for the rental location’s address, together with the name of the property owner or rental company. If the same ads you saw come up with a different owner or manager, that's a big red flag.
They also make it clear that you should never send payment for a property you've never seen or to a person you've never met. Once you send that money, it's probably gone.
Sherman said she didn't see any red flags during the application process, but now knows to never trust someone solely over the phone.
“Always do it in person. Don’t ever send money because that was my fault," Sherman said.
12News reached out to Invitation Homes for comment but did not immediately get a response.
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