Police are looking for three suspects who allegedly used social media to carry out a rental scam in Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and Flushing that swindled would-be tenants out of thousands of dollars in cash.
In the first incident on April 1, an unidentified individual and a 40-year-old victim met in front of 77-01 31st Ave. in Jackson Heights. The victim gave the perpetrator a $1,400 deposit.
On April 21, a 25-year-old victim met with an individual in front of 41-62 70th St., also in Jackson Heights, and gave him a deposit of $1,800.
In a third incident on April 23, another victim met with an individual at 94-22 Jackson Mill Road in East Elmhurst and handed him a $1,800 deposit.
On June 6, the latest incident, a victim met with an individual in front of 137-58 Northern Blvd. in Flushing and gave him a deposit of $1,500.
In each instance, an unidentified perpetrator, who posed as a homeowner of an alleged apartment for rent on Facebook, met with a victim at an agreed upon location. The suspect provided a set of keys and a receipt for the deposit.
After receiving the deposit money, the individual fled to parts unknown. The victim would then arrive at the respective apartment and realize the home was already occupied.
Surveillance photos of the suspects can be seen below.
The incidents occurred within the 108th, 109th and 115th Precincts.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
