Oct 9, 2008 5:57 pm US/Eastern
Suspected Con Artists Arrested On Long Island
Fake Realtors Allegedly Charge Rent For Other People's Homes
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
As the economic crisis worsens, police on Long Island said unscrupulous con artists are taking advantage. Last week in Suffolk County and Thursday night in Nassau, two men arrested in separate fraudulent realtor crimes.
The scams were as follows: you and your loved ones pay a realtor rent, move into a house and are suddenly evicted when the real owners return from vacation. "They even had a little kid in there with them, that sold me on it that it was legit. I asked for a license but it was fake too. You've got to be careful in the time of this crisis," resident Robert Crawford said.
Crawford wasn't the only one victimized in Roosevelt. Neighbors along Lincoln Avenue said they thought something was suspicious when a man from Baldwin allegedly tried to pass himself off as a realtor with keys to numerous homes, now being sold or foreclosed.
Nassau police said one family paid $2,000 cash up front, a month's rent, to 31-year-old Gregory Garvin. The alleged scam artist was arrested and charged with grand larceny and fraud. CBS 2HD asked to get Mr. Garvin's side of the story, but were given the brush off.
The Suffolk DA said his office uncovered a similar scam and charged Paul Salamone with breaking into at least five foreclosed homes and illegally renting them to innocent victims. The Long Island Board of Realtors said renters must protect themselves.
Broker Barbara Ford from the Board is also a lawyer. She offers the following advice: demand a licensed realtor security lock card, check for a New York State brokerage license, sign papers in an office, and pay by check to the brokerage company.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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