Temple Woman Scammed on House She Rented

A woman in Temple thought she had found a great house for her and her son, but found out she had been tricked and the house she rented was owned by someone else.

According to a report from KCEN TV, Stacey Garcia had been looking for a home to rent on craigslist.  After she found a house she wanted to look at the supposed owner sent her a link to view the property.

Garcia, added her number and got a code she could use to get into the house.  She filled out an application and paid her first month's rent.

After being in the house for a week, Garcia had some air conditioning issues and called Karios Living the management company she thought she had rented the house from.

“I was on my way home from lunch and someone from Kairos Living called me and said, ‘Hey, you’re there illegally. We own the house. You need to call the police,’” Garcia told KCEN TV. “It was devastating. I have a son,” she said.

Karios said the scammers set up a fake link on sites like craigslist and price the rent much less than what it actually is, making it attractive to potential renters.

Garcia was able to get her money back from her bank and is still on the hunt for her next home.

If you suspect you're the victim of a rental scam or you spot one in progress, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Their website also has a lot of useful information about these scams and how to protect yourself.