A Cuban recently arrived in Miami lost a sum of 1,300 dollars when paying rent that turned out to be a scam. The figure was the initial entry required by the alleged owner of the room.
The young woman named Yoani told Univisionwho lost all the savings he had brought from Cuba, and also the money his friends from Miami gave him when he arrived in the United States.
“All the little money I had when I arrived in the country, what they gave me and what I saved with my friends in Cuba, was what I gave to this lady,” said Yoani, who was to start living on the rent next January 1. August.
Through the Facebook Marketplace app, the girl became aware of the rent. However, once he made the payment, the supposed owner of it disappeared and he could not contact her anymore.
He then went to the place where he planned to live. There she found five other families in the same situation as her, as they had also been scammed.
A rent, a scam, and an ongoing police investigation
Yoani specified the home is located at 3550 95th Street in Northwest Miami-Dade County.
The other scammed people had a payment receipt that is probably also fake. The case is now in the hands of the local police.
The authorities verified that the house is in the records of Miami-Dade County, but in the name of a company located in Orlando.
The specialist in real estate business Marlene Llamas, recommends that to avoid this type of deception, you should always confirm that the real owner of the home is negotiating.
“Anyone can list, but on Facebook Marketplace no one is confirming the information there.”
According to Llamas, the safest way to rent is to hire a licensed specialist and verify, on the county website, who owns the property.