Omaha woman falls victim to rental scam on Facebook Marketplace

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - For six years, a townhouse near 78th and State Street in Omaha has been home for Laurie Morrison.

“We love the neighbors and we love the area,” Laurie said.

But the steps have forced her to take steps toward moving.

“At the end of the day especially or after a long appointment it’s really hard to get back in, because it’s so much work to get up the steps,” Laurie said.

So she searched on Facebook Marketplace and found photos of a rental home with easier access, though the alleged landlord would only communicate via text.

“I said, ‘I can’t do stairs, do you have stairs?’” Laurie said. “He said, ‘No, there’s no stairs.”

The address listed for rent has stairs up and down leading to the apartments, and outside, even though there is railing Laurie would have to climb up and down steps to get to her car.

6 News contacted the number with a Wyoming area code listed on the Facebook rental ad. The alleged owner answered, hung up, and texted.

That’s how the president of the Better Business Bureau communicated with the man claiming to be the apartment complex owner, but he suspects is a phony landlord.

“You are going to have to put down a deposit on the property and if you answer yes to pets, you’ll have to putdown an additional deposit,” said Jim Hegarty with the BBB. “If you have more than one person, you’ll have to put down more. So it’s like all the scams that we see. They just keep milking you until you cry ‘uncle.’”

Laurie cried “refund” in a text to the phony landlord, who told him she could send him another $50 via ApplePay to pay a lawyer who could get her money back. Instead, she disputed her $140 paid through PayPal but the phony landlord had asked for payment in a certain way.

“He had me send it friends and family, don’t ever send it friends and family because you can’t dispute those,” Laurie said.

So back to searching for a ground-level apartment or townhouse Laurie Morrison will take steps to make sure she’s no being scammed.

After 6 News contacted PayPal, Laurie says she got a call from PayPal which is going to refund all her money sent to the alleged phony landlord. PayPal says it has zero tolerance for attempted fraud and has teams working to protect customers. That includes a warning. Anyone wanting you to use the friends and family payment method is red flag for a scam.

PayPal sent 6 News the following information:

• Our customer support team has reviewed this case and is in direct contact with the customer.
• PayPal has a zero-tolerance policy for attempted fraudulent activity and our teams work tirelessly to protect our customers.
• Whenever someone suspects they are the target of a potential scam, we always recommend that they contact Customer Support directly through our website or app.
• Additionally, we provide transparent, educational materials and partner with leading institutions such as the BBB and AARP, to help customers further protect themselves. For example:
• PayPal Security Center: Learn about scams [See “Be wary if the seller tries to convince you to use Friends and Family payment type, as this is a red flag that it is a scam”.]
• What are common scams and how do I spot them? [See “Other Common Scams” section and “Rental Listing Scams”]
• Simple Steps to Avoid the Most Common Scams
• BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust Partners with PayPal
• AARP Announces PayPal and Venmo Become First Peer-to-Peer Payment Platforms to Adopt BankSafe Program

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