Victims of rental scam in Aurora find new home: "I'm worried. How many more people are they going to get?"
An Aurora family that fell victim to a rental scam has found a new home.
When the good news came, the Rumple family only had hours left before they'd be evicted.
"Oh God, I'm so happy. I was literally on the edge of a panic attack this morning. We didn't have anything planned," said Samantha Rumple, who just moved to Colorado with her family.
The Rumples had to be out of their scam rental by the end of Monday. The generosity of a stranger ended their housing nightmare.
"The couple that owns a condominium actually reached out to us and said, 'we saw your story. We're willing to work with you. What can you give us now and we can work on everything else,'" said Rumple.
Later that day, they had the keys to a home in Lakewood.
This time they were certain no one else had the keys, too.
Rumple knew the scammer was able to trick at least one other family. The morning of their move, they learned there were more victims.
"We were packing up everything and we heard a knock on the door. We thought, please don't again," said Rumple. "We opened the door and it was two ladies. They had came in from Florida. Now they're out $500 because they paid the application fee."
The Rumples' story isn't uncommon.
Scammers are always looking for the next money maker. In Colorado, it's the roof over your head.
"Housing scams are pretty huge," said Colton Harris, a broker with XLV Realty. "With inflated prices for rentals, a lot of people are finding ways to scam because people are desperate to get into a home."
Colorado has some of the most rental scams per capita, according to ApartmentGuide. That's why it's important you do your research.
Renters should be skeptical of anyone asking for money upfront for you to see a rental property.
"You can check with the county assessor records, see who the ownership is, check the address for verification," said Harris.
You can find out the owner's name and property information on the county assessor's website where the property is located, and you can verify a real estate broker's license with the Colorado Division of Real Estate on their license look-up page. Make sure they are who they say they are and verify their identity and contact information.
Police and the FBI are investigating the rental.
Rumple has reported the listing, but a new one continues to pop back online.
"I'm worried. How many more people are they going to get?" said Rumple.
