JENSEN BEACH, Fla. — A Jensen Beach man contacted WPTV after losing hundreds of dollars to an alleged fake online rental ad.
The search for a new rental home has been disappointing for Bruce Chamberland.
"I was looking around here for rents," Chamberland told WPTV. "I was looking on Craigslist, and I found a couple of apartments that I was interested in."
Chamberland said he chose one that he liked in Fort Pierce and started talking with the alleged landlord via text message.
"We did mostly texting," Chamberland said. "He asked me to give him a deposit because other people were asking about the apartment, so I did."
Chamberland said he wire-transferred him $840 for the first month's rent and $500 for a security deposit.
"I had to go all the way to my bank," he said. "I'm handicapped. I can't get around well."
Chamberland has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and uses an oxygen tank 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because it's difficult for him to get around, he never made it out to see the apartment before sending the money to the person he was texting.
He later learned the rental ad was fake.
"I will not be dealing with Craigslist ever again," Chamberland said.
Fake online rental ads continue to plague South Florida.
Last year, WPTV heard from dozens of viewers with similar stories.
"I was pretty sure it was too good to be true, but it was a two-bedroom apartment for $800 a month," victim Kyle Cohen in Lake Worth Beach told WPTV last year.
"We would get to the houses, they would be occupied by another person," victim Holly Kriss said.
Investigations
Fake online housing ads on the rise in South Florida
That's eventually what happened to Chamberland when he decided later to stop by the apartment and met the people who lived there, learning the property was not available for rent.
"I spoke with the owner of the apartment, and they said they don't use Craigslist for this reason," Chamberland said.
He filed a report with the Martin County Sheriff's Office and said they're still investigating.
The Better Business Bureau warns renters to watch out for deals that seem too good to be true, search online for similar properties, and if you see the same ad in another city, that's a red flag.
The BBB also advises renters to go see the property in person before paying and never pay a stranger through a cash transfer or a cash app.
"It's not fair for somebody to rip you off and have no consequences," Chamberland said.