The Brief
- A South Fulton family lost $4,000 and faces eviction after a sophisticated broker scam using a fraudulent lease.
- Scammers used smart lock technology and official-looking court stamps to trick the family into a vacant home.
- Despite being fraud victims, the family received a city summons for squatting and must argue their case in court.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. – A South Fulton family is facing a “squatter” summons and the loss of $4,000 after falling victim to a sophisticated rental scam involving a fake broker and a fraudulent lease.
South Fulton ‘squatter’ scam
What they’re saying:
Venus Carter and her family, which includes a small child and a caretaker, thought they had found the perfect brick home in South Fulton last Friday. Instead, Carter is now living in a house with no running water and a looming court date.
“My heart fell to the floor,” Carter said, describing the moment she contacted the actual property owner, Progress Residential, and discovered the man she had been paying was a stranger to the company.…