A mum is warning would-be tenants about a fake landlord scam after her teen son and his pregnant girlfriend were nearly conned out of £1,600.
Christine Price had hoped a three-bed property in Stoke-on-Trent would be the perfect home as the young couple prepare to welcome a baby.
But luckily the 48-year-old, who already has 10 grandchildren, realised something was fishy when she was asked for a £1,600 'deposit' to be transferred upfront.
It transpired the conwoman did not own the house in question at all.
The fraud came about after mum-of-five Christine innocently posted on a Stoke-on-Trent Facebook page asking if anyone knew of somewhere suitable.
Stoke on Trent Live reports that she then received a message from a woman called claiming to be called Linda who said she had a house to let.
'Linda' told Christine she lived in Canterbury and due to her 'bitter experience' of cancelled viewings she asked for the cash up front as security.
She added that if the house was not suitable, the money would be refunded in full.
Her ruse was rumbled when Christine's husband went to look at the property from the outside and noticed an estate agent's board.
After calling the estate agent's Northwood, they confirmed they had never heard of 'Linda' and the house already had a tenant.
Warning others to be on their guard, Christine said: "My blood's boiling as so nearly got scammed.
"I've been looking for a house for my son and his missus as they're having a baby and want to live together. They've been saving for ages.
"I'd put a post on the Facebook page explaining what we were after.
"This woman claiming to be a landlady messaged me. At first I thought nothing was wrong but something told me in my gut that it wasn't right.
"My hubby went to view the property from the outside and then called the estate agent whose board was still up.
"It turned out that they already had someone living there.
"The estate agent asked me the name of the supposed landlady and it wasn't right. It was clearly a scam.
"When I called Linda out, she just told me I must have been at the wrong house and even said I wasn't allowed to view her property without her there. It's not against the law to suss a house out from the outside.
"The estate agent has been really good and got in touch with the real landlady. I also reported Linda on the Facebook page.
"She was expecting a deposit of £1,600 which she probably would have got if I didn't dig a bit deeper.
"This woman should be ashamed of herself. I just want to let other people looking to rent know that these scammers are out there and if something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.
"My son and his girlfriend had been saving for a long time to get the deposit together and they could have been back to square one if I hadn't questioned it."
A spokesperson for Northwood's Stoke office urged prospective tenants to go through estate agents.
They said: "We are sorry to hear that the family almost fell victim to a scam, but are relieved to know that it was found out before any harm was done.
"The property in question had already been rented out, legitimately, by this office and our best advice to anyone looking to rent is to be extremely careful when using social media platforms and ideally always seek the guidance of a fully registered and accredited lettings agent such as Northwood to help you through the process."
