The Indianapolis housing market can be overwhelming, so when an offer is too good to be true, there's likely a scammer behind it.
That was the experience for one couple who thought they were renting out their dream home.
Breana and Sheridan Williams found the house in the 4300 block of Village Trace Court online and though it and the neighborhood would be a good fit for the family, WRTV reported.
The couple thought they were talking to the home's owner who was renting it out. When it came time to sign the rental agreement, the "owner" said he couldn't meet in person because he's also a truck driver who happened to be on the road. He even sent the Williamses a picture of his driver's license to back up his story.
They thought nothing of it because they know truck drivers who are frequently out of town for work.
When it came time to pay the deposit and rent, the man asked the couple to pay through a bitcoin ATM, wire transfers, and with 10 Apple gift cards worth $100.
The couple ran into trouble on move-in day. When they opened the property's lock box, an email was sent to the real home's owner, who showed up.
The woman told Breana that while the house was still up for rent.
"And I was like, how was that? And she was like, no one has applied to this property at all. I was like, well, I was just approved. I have a six-page lease I just signed," Breana told the news station.
That's when the couple realized they were scammed.
The scammer made off with around $3,000 and now the couple couldn't move inside their dream home. Breana is pregnant with the couple's third child and recently started a GoFundMe to hopefully recoup some of their lost money before their daughter is born.
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