Victim Location 94704
Total money lost $3,000
Type of a scam Rental
I responded to an ad on a Facebook group, UC Berkeley Off-Campus Housing, about an apartment for rent. I communicated for several hours via Facebook Messenger with a person whose profile was Katherine Wright. She claimed to own the property and answered many questions about the property. Because of COVID-19, and because I was on the East Coast, she sent over a video tour of the apartment, in which a woman with her hair color briefly appeared in a mirror. Our communications were cogent and she used proper grammar; I thought everything was legit. I ended up signing a lease and paying a deposit and first month’s rent ($3000 total) via Zelle and Cashapp. I later called the building where I thought I was renting a unit (* ** ****** **** ********* *** Berkeley, CA 94704), and they told me the unit had not been rented and that no landlord named Katherine Wright worked for them. I asked to cancel my lease and get a refund. Katherine Wright said she would refund my deposit and rent payment, but went on to decline my refund requests and stopped responding to messages. I can no longer view her Facebook account. I spoke to her via Facebook Messenger audio at one point — her "husband" answered, a man with a Chinese accent.