A woman has been left feeling completely deceived after she was conned out of hundreds of pounds by a 'fake landlord' who offered her a non-existent home.
Ashleigh Connor, 28, from Greasby, Merseyside, was thrilled at the prospect of moving into the property she stumbled upon on Facebook. But her excitement turned to horror when she discovered that her supposed new home in West Kirby was nothing but a cruel hoax by a 'phony landlord' who swindled her out of £850.
Now, the 28-year-old finds herself back with her parents and sibling in their two-bedroom bungalow, grappling with the additional stress this scam has inflicted on her mental wellbeing. In her search for a place to call her own, Ashleigh spent countless hours on Facebook before landing on the advert posted by the so-called landlord. The advertised property seemed perfect, fitting within her financial reach and appearing to be the home she had always wanted.
Ashleigh said: "I was back and forth talking with him, he gave me all the details, he said what size the property was, discussed budget and asked who I would be living with. I'd be living on my own and had a budget of £500 per month. He said that was fine and the rent would be £500 which was in my budget and that I would need to pay a £300 deposit plus admin fee.
"I sent him all the details and he said I qualified for everything and accepted me for the property. He even sent me a lease agreement, it all seemed genuine." Ashleigh transferred a deposit and admin fee totalling £350 for the property, which she says is standard when renting a home, reports the Liverpool Echo.
She said: "He told me everything was OK and gave me a move in date of April 16 and that he would meet me at the property to give me the keys. Then on Friday [April 12] he messaged me saying he would need one month's rent up front before I got the keys. I had to borrow it off my mum because I didn't have it in my bank early. I sent him £500 by bank transfer."
Ashleigh says this didn't raise any suspicions as it was quite a normal process when renting a property from a landlord. However, things took a turn after she transferred the rent money. She continued: "Then it started going weird after I sent the £500 rent. The next message I had from him he said he wanted another £500 from me, asking for another month up front, that would have been two months rent I would have paid him.
"I said no and he said 'I will speak to my attorney,' which made me start thinking because that's an American thing to say. I started talking to my sister about it, who lives in Banbury, and she found the exact property on Zoopla, and it was already let agreed. We spoke to the agent and they said they had never heard of this landlord.
"He told me 'I'm not a scammer' but it didn't seem right. He told me not to worry and he will speak to Zoopla. I believed him because I was so desperate to move because I have been living with my parents and my dads in a hospital bed so they [Ashleigh's mum and dad] can't share a bedroom, my brother is also living here. We're all cramped in a two bed bungalow. There is not enough room for everyone."
After the supposed landlord requested another month's rent, Ashleigh claims she informed him that she could no longer afford the property and requested her money back. She recounted said: "He then said 'I need another £100 for a cancellation fee.' There was nothing about a cancellation fee in the contract.
"I just want my £850 back and be done with it. He refused to send me the money. I've had to contact the bank. Luckily the bank are going to retrieve the money and I am stuck without a property." Already dealing with mental health issues, Ashleigh says the stress of potentially being homeless is exacerbating her condition. She added: "I have anxiety and depression as well so I am quite stressed. This has just ruined my sense of trust in a person.
"I just thought it was someone being nice and trying to help someone out, but not everyone has a good side and he has changed my perspective. I don't want this to happen to someone else. I have my family around me so I'm quite lucky but the next person might not be so lucky to have this support around them."
The landlord has been approached for comment.