Real Estate Scam Busts in Brooklyn

MYFOXNY.COM -- Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes announced the arrests of 12 people in a series of unrelated mortgage and real estate scams in Brooklyn.

One of the men charged, Todd Graham, was first exposed in an Arnold Diaz Shame investigation in May. Graham was apparently posting Craigslist ads for apartments he claimed to own, but didn't.

Shalomar Daniel alerted Fox 5 to the scam after she and her husband paid $2,650 in rent and security deposit to a David Flores, an alias Graham used. He claimed to own an apartment building on Eastern Parkway.

He said they could move in two weeks later. But when that time came, Daniel and her husband were shocked to find another family had just moved in to the same apartment.

The charges care the results of investigations by the D.A.'s Mortgage Fraud and Real Estate Crimes Unit, which was created in February 2009.

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TIPS ON AVOIDING FAKE LANDLORD SCAMS

Remember anyone can post an ad on Craigslist, so proceed with caution. The site does have a list of scams they continue to update, so be sure to read it over.

Never hand over cash or make wire transfers to strangers; checks are your best bet.

Just because someone has the keys to an apartment doesn't mean they have the right to rent it out, so do your homework.

In the five boroughs of New York City you can verify owners of property on nyc.gov/acris . In other areas, the local town hall may be able to verify ownership.

Be cautious: Ask lots of questions, but not just to the person claiming to be the landlord, be sure to speak to other tenants in the building ask them how long they have lived there and who they are paying rent to.

If you can, also speak with neighbors; let them know your thinking about moving into the neighborhood, and ask them questions about the property.