Man Accidentally Outsmarts Scammer, Gets Applauded At Police Station

Apartment hunting can often be such a pain because, at the end of the day, you do need to actually go and look at the location. After all, signing off on a lease without seeing the place a single time is a fool’s errand. But, there are some “landlords” who are so scummy that they will still find ways to take your money even when you’ve actually showed up.

A man shared his bit of revenge, when he flipped the tables on a woman running a “deposit for fake apartment” scam. We reached out to the man who made the post via private message and will update the article when he gets back to us.

Some landlords can be sort of shady

Two people standing outside a modern building, discussing an apartment scam incident.

Image credits: zamrznutitonovi / Envato (not the actual photo)

But one man realized his new landlady was literally just running a scam

Text about getting scammed over a fake apartment and accidentally getting revenge.

Text describing a guy's experience getting scammed over an apartment in 2009 while listening to music.

Text detailing a man's experience with a deceptive landlord after seeking a cheap apartment room.

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Text recounting a man's scam experience with an apartment and his accidental revenge.

Text about a voicemail explaining why an apartment cannot be rented, highlighting a scam situation.

Text about researching tenant rights and discovering lease regulations related to deposits.

Text from a scam victim describing ghosting and frustration over unanswered messages related to an apartment.

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Man frustrated over apartment scam, holding glasses, looking at laptop in living room.

Image credits: Prostock-studio / Envato (not the actual photo)

Text recounting a story about a guy scammed over an apartment, waiting to confront the scammer.

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Text message demanding $900 by day's end or police involvement, related to apartment scam incident.

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Image credits: wirestock / Envato (not the actual photo)

Text describing a person scammed over an apartment heading to the police station to report the incident.

Text describing an apartment scam victim's plan for revenge and legal action to recover double the deposit.

Text about a man confronting a scammer over an apartment and being told by the cop that he earned the money back.

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Text describing scammed guy getting double deposit back by threatening with police.

Text describing a girl starting a slow clap about an apartment scam victim's unexpected revenge.

Text excerpt about an unexpected turn of events as victims applaud realizing revenge on a scammer.

Text recounting a man's apartment scam incident, resulting in unexpected cosmic justice and shared happiness.

Police cap on a table with milk and cereal, officer in background, related to apartment scam incident.

Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato (not the actual photo)

Text about a scam victim leaving the police station with satisfaction.

Text expressing thanks for compliments and awards on a creative writing piece about an apartment scam.

Text discussing an annual chuckle over an apartment scam fiasco, prompting a story share.

Text screenshot about a guy who got scammed over an apartment, sharing a humorous apology.

Image credits: Genius4Hire

There are a lot of possible housing scams out there

Image credits: wayhomestudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Despite the fact that basically everyone needs a place to stay, the rental market is still rife with scams, cons and other ways landlords (or just random people!) take money from regular folks. Unfortunately, this seems to be part of a growing trend. Just last year, (in the US) the FBI reported a 64% increase in this sort of fraud.

The story here is a classic variant, where the person just takes the deposit and hopes the tenant doesn’t want to deal with it. After all, who wants to literally camp outside of a home to confront her? So as long as most victims don’t raise a fuss, you can pretty easily get away with it. Of course, this is deeply illegal, so it was only a matter of time until someone actually went to the police.

Another “common” version is where the owner isn’t actually able to “show” you the listing, although they will send you pictures, which are often fake or stolen from a real listing. They will be very forthcoming and will offer to “allow you” to send the deposit (or even rent!) electronically. Once the money is wired, too bad, so sad, it’s generally gone. This is why you can never really let your guard down.

This particular scam is more common in groups renting apartments for students and so on, as the potential tenants do not have any way to actually track down the listing and see it. These are also folks who tend to need to secure their housing before they arrive at a new city or even country. If you are fortunate enough to own a home or just pay for hotels until you find something to rent, consider yourself lucky.

Of course, some folks thought he might have just made it up

Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)

However, this story comes with one more possible problem. Many commenters note that the man’s details are rather excessive and self-congratulatory. The natural inclination of many readers was to declare it as fake. After all, “and then everyone clapped” is a classic hallmark of a made-up internet story.

It does seem that the scam was very real, as there are news stories about it. You can even see a picture of the scammer in the link if you are interested. That being said, this does not actually confirm the man’s story. As one comment noted, liars love to embellish their stories with all sorts of details to make them seem more believable.

On the other hand, some folks just love giving details or adding little things for “context”. Most of us love to spin a tale, particularly if there is an audience. The more cautious approach would be to wonder if perhaps some details were embellished, for example, the police officer stating just how smart this man was to get his money back or the applause he apparently received. Don’t believe everything you read online.

Some folks wanted more details

Comment exchange about deposit laws and living in British Columbia.

Reddit comments discussing apartment scam victims and their outcomes.

[reactions]

Reddit comments discussing an apartment scam and accidental revenge, with users sharing experiences.

Text conversation with comments about an apartment scam and accidental revenge.

Reddit comments about apartment scam and unexpected revenge, with users joking and sharing insights.

Reddit comments about revenge on apartment scammers, applauded by victims.

Other reader’s shared their thoughts on the situation

Reddit comment discussing apartment scam and hope for victims' refunds.

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Comment on apartment scam and accidental revenge on a scammer, applauded by victims.

A Reddit comment about a guy scammed over an apartment, referencing a story from BC.

Comment about scammed apartment and unexpected revenge with humorous response.

Comment about friends nearly scammed over apartment by a lady near Gordon Head.

Reddit comment discussing a person's intelligence, related to an apartment scam.

Comment expressing disbelief at scammer's light punishment of house arrest for scamming $13,500 from 30 people.

Reddit comment discussing scammed apartment money and a suggested alternative use.

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