Wilmington woman loses thousands of dollars through rental scam
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington Police are investigating a rental scam that has left a woman and her son out of thousands of dollars.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Tracey Frazier, the scam victim.
What seemed like the family’s saving grace quickly turned into their biggest nightmare.
“It looked like it was so legit. I would talk to the workmen; they’d walk me through the house. I even talked to the neighbors,” said Frazier.
After almost a year of searching, Tracey Frazier and her son Jackson thought they had found the perfect home to rent, and they quickly fell in love with the Wilmington home not far from UNCW.
“Everything I brought up, he was able to dispel, or tell me ‘Hey, I don’t know what this or that is, but we’ll get to the bottom of it, we’ll get to the bottom of it as soon as I get there.’ We had so much conversation back and forth,” said Frazier.
On top of consistent contact with the alleged-owner, Frazier met them in person, walked through the house, and even connected with the next-door neighbors.
The alleged-owner asked Frazier for a 14-hundred-dollar deposit, first month’s rent, and last month’s rent up-front, which she paid through Venmo.
Frazier says all the pieces seemed to fall into place, and everything looked right, until it wasn’t.
She was supposed to meet with the alleged-owner at the home the day after sending the payment, but they never showed.
“We trusted him. When we would go by the property, everything looked right,” said Frazier.
It turns out the alleged-owner had used fake names, disconnected their phones, and stopped communicating with Frazier, leaving her out of 45-hundred dollars, and most importantly a place to live.
Wilmington Police are investigating. They say this is one of the most elaborate scams they’ve seen, and are offering tips to avoid becoming a victim.
“The biggest things are to identify the seller or renter, don’t feel rushed or pressured into paying upfront or especially online or sending money through apps,” said Kevin Getman with the Wilmington Police Department.
Frazier has filed an investigation report at the property, but have not heard anything back yet.
She also has attempted to dispute the charges with Venmo and Wells Fargo, but hasn’t had any luck yet.
If you would like to help the family move into a new home, you can donate to their GoFundMe here.
