Pittsburgh-area woman loses $4,100 in rental scam

A Pittsburgh-area woman says she lost thousands in a rental scam. 

She thought she had a home in Canonsburg locked in after paying thousands of dollars, but she says when it came time to sign the lease, the landlord disappeared. She said she found out it was never available to rent in the first place. When KDKA knocked on the door on Friday, someone was already living there. 

Police said Treyvonna Hoberek is behind the listing. The victim says she started messaging Hoberek through Facebook about the property on East Pitt Street. But instead of one payment, the victim says she was asked to send money multiple times for a security deposit, first month's rent and last month's rent, adding up to $4,100. 

But police said the person collecting that money had no legal connection to the property.

"She realized it after she had provided the funds and then she was looking for a move-in date and that date never came," said Greene Washington Regional Police Department Chief William DeForte.

Records show the home is owned by a company and operated by Avid Management Group, which told investigators they've never heard of the suspect. When the victim started asking questions and demanded her money back, DeForte says the suspect changed her story, claiming her Facebook had been hacked before eventually cutting off contact altogether.

"I worked really, really hard to get that money all year long and she just stole it," the victim said. 

DeForte says scams like this are on the rise, and in this case, there's a warrant out for Hoberek's arrest. His message is simple: if you haven't seen the property in person, don't send money. 

Police recommend using trusted rental platforms and avoiding deals that seem too good to be true.