A FRAUDSTER stole thousands of pounds from prospective tenants after posing as a landlord.
Wiltshire Police released pictures of a man they would like to speak to in connection with two incidents of rental fraud.
On two occasions people have been fooled into handing over deposits for a rental property in Ferndale Road.
The house which was empty as it was in the process of being sold, was advertised on Gumtree.
Two separate people viewed the house in April 2019 and paid £1,200 and £2,400 in deposits to a man posing as the owner.
The scam was uncovered when the victims went to the house, hoping to move in, and discovered the actual owner of the house, who said the empty house had been broken into and the locks changed.
Nina Hyuseinov and her Husband Hyusein signed a contract in April to move in the three-bedroom house with their two children.
At the time of the incident, Nina told the Adver: “I can’t believe this has happened. We saved up this money since we came to the UK in October, the house was really nice, and we were looking forwards to moving in with our children.
“We have no money, we’re both looking for jobs and changing our details from the old house to the new one and back again has caused delays with our universal credit payment, so we won’t be able to pay the rent for our flat.”
READ MORE: Couple scammed out of £1,200 by fake landlord in Swindon
Local Crime Investigator Debbie Jones, from Swindon North Community Policing Team said: “There are a number of victims in this case.
“Firstly, there is the owner of the house, who has had his property broken into and the locks changed.
“Secondly, there are two people who have unwittingly handed over large amounts of money to a man posing as the owner or landlord of the house, who has duped them into thinking they were viewing and securing a new home.
“We are asking people to look at the images attached and let us know if they recognise the man.
“Also, we would like to hear from anyone else who believes they may have fallen victim to either this man or a similar scam in the Swindon area.”
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