Peterborough house hunter conned out of hundreds of pounds by fraudster offering perfect home

The fraudster got away with £600 in the scam after tricking their victim on Facebook- and now police are warning others to prevent them from becoming victims.

Officers are urging residents to use genuine agents, rather than social media.

A spokesman for the force said; “Imagine spotting your dream pad online️. You contact the landlord and, to your delight, it’s still available! The landlord provides you with his details including full name, date of birth and a copy of his passport and agrees to release the keys to you once your deposit has cleared. All seems legit.

“You wait with excitement and expectation, already planning in your head where all your furniture will go. You keep waiting, but the keys never arrive.️

“This happened to one victim in Peterborough this week who parted with a £600 deposit to secure his dream property, which he spotted on a “Peterborough Houses to Let” Facebook page.

“The supposed landlord was actually a grade A con artist, who duped the expectant tenant by using fake ID documents. There was no property and the victim lost his hard-earned cash.

“Sadly, these incidents are all too common and we would urge people to think before using Facebook ads. Always use genuine letting agents and sites.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101, or use their webchat service.

For more information on how to avoid scams, visit https://bit.ly/3hYd4Ed