California renter loses thousands to social-media real-estate fraud scheme
A 53-year-old woman in Fullerton paid over $2,500 to scammers posing as a landlord after a bogus rental listing appeared on Zillow.
Seeking affordable housing, Pam Yeager responded to a short-lived Zillow ad for a Fullerton bungalow that seemed priced below the regional average. The post, likely copied and enhanced with AI, attracted multiple inquiries before the owner, who was still living there, confirmed the home was not for rent. Yeager paid a $75 application fee, a $2,500 security deposit and later the first month’s rent to a person she never met, using Zelle.
When she requested a refund, the contact disappeared, and she was left without the money. Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lizbeth Gwisdalla and Placentia Police Sgt. Frank Garza say the scams are proliferating due to lax oversight on social-media marketplaces. Realtors such as Chris Duff note the trend is worsening annually, while Zillow says it removes fraudulent listings when identified.
Why it matters
The case highlights how online rental scams exploit desperate renters and expose gaps in digital marketplace oversight.
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