>>>
you are planning a getaway to sunny
florida
, watch out. that
house
you thought you rented could be nothing more than a scam.
kerry sanders
joins us from ft. lauderdale to explain. good morning.
>> reporter:
good morning, ann. it seems to simple. go on the internet, find a
beach house
to rent, sign a contract, send money and go on a dream vacation. what if you show up and it turns out the contract is bogus and the person you paid to rent the
house
from doesn't even own it? it is one of ft. lauderdale's most desirable neighborhoods, only five blocks long, right on the beach near a shopping district where the rich live and play. for three generations of family and friends for
quebec
it was the perfect spot for a girls' getaway.
>>
it looked just like what i wanted. perfect
house
.
>> reporter:
louise bedard found the
house
on a rental website. $5700 for 24 days. $237.50 a day. a deal. especially when the cost for the five bedroom
house
was split among everyone. this is the
house
they paid to rent. but in the window of the front door, a sign.
>>
it's not for rent. it is absolutely not for rent.
>> reporter:
in the last 12 months
steve chase
, the owner, has had four families show up from
quebec
, montreal and
south carolina
, all believing they rented his
house
for a vacation. his neighbors have had a dozen more families show up to rent their houses.
>>
there was a taxi in my driveway and the driver was actually taking luggage out of the taxi, leaving it on my front door.
>> reporter:
steve chase
isn't a victim. he hasn't
lost money
. but he's angry. he turned to police who told him since the scammed victims were not locals he should call the
secret service
. he then contacted ic-3, a partnership with the fbi and the national
white collar crime
center which led him to
florida
's attorney general who said, call the
local police
.
>>
i'm looking here at your
dining room
table which is command central of an investigation. you're running into
brick walls
.
>>
brick walls
and just going in a
vicious circle
.
>> reporter:
so we took that contract for steve's
house
that those women from
quebec
had and shared it with experts at dell secureworks, an
internet security
company in atlanta.
>>
analyzing the document --
>> reporter:
john ramsey
found code hidden in the document.
>>
there is a name of odigie which is a common nigerian name.
>> reporter:
could it be a scam with a new twist? in this case it appears the money is staying in the
united states
. the women from
quebec
traced their check to a bank in lowell, arkansas. others sent checks
san bernardino
, california. that's where
richard adams
found anthony peretes who said he cashed checks for the fake rental listings saying he would get $100 for every check and then he wired the bulk of the money to someone he never met.
>>
i don't get much. i get chump change.
>> reporter:
as for the women from
quebec
, a somewhat happy ending. they came to
florida
on vacation, found a legitimate
house
to rent and they are getting their money back from the phoney rental thanks to a fast-acting banker who froze the check when it was deposited.
>>
the next time? we're going to be a little bit more careful for sure.
>> reporter:
the
better business bureau
said the scams look small. $3,000 here, $6,000 here but they add up to millions. the best advice, don't wire money, don't send a check. use your
credit card
. that limits your liability. ann?
>>
kerry sanders
with good advice this morning. thanks, kerry. up
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