A Skokie Family gets scammed by a fake landlord
A Skokie family lost $3600 as they were scammed by a fake landlord. The family faced homelessness and they left scrambling to find a place to live in. The family says that they are left with only a little money and they are unable to pay the rent and bills of their old apartment. The family added that they were scammed with a trick.
Viviana Quiroz and her family found a unit in suburban Skokie at the rate of $1200/month. Quiroz said, “We were looking for a new apartment and we found one”. The woman pretended her as Sarah Goldman while the authorities said that her real name was Debra Wasserman. Wasserman told the Quiroz family that she would help them in finding a new apartment.
Alex Quiroz said, “She was just saying she wanted to help out a family to live comfortably, and that’s what we were hoping for.” Wasserman asked the family to pay $3600 in cash to her. When the family reached the place which they had rented, they found that everything about the rental agreement was fake. The family came with their belongings and on-year lease.
The family was told that they were scammed when they reach the rented home. Viviana Quiroz said, “I immediately started crying. I had my kids there and I just started crying. The woman lied to us.” Pankaj Kumar, a person who lives in that building, told that some other families were also scammed in a similar fashion.
The family returned back to their old apartment but their lease agreement is going to end this month. They do not find a way yet to recover the funds. Skokie police have arrested Wasserman and placed three charges of theft against her. Wasserman was arrested on the base of the outstanding warrant of ID theft and burglary. The family urges people to stay careful while paying someone in cash as there are scams all around. Everyone needs to avoid the red flags, the family urged. The renters must have to be careful in making the lease agreements. Skokie Police have been investigating the case.
