Scammer posing as realtor costs victims thousands and unfairly tarnishes a reputation

With affordable housing so hard to find in South Florida, a good deal from what looks like a reputable realtor is hard to resist.

So hard, NBC6 Investigates found, people are sending thousands in cash transfers to one supposed “realtor” without seeing her in person

But it’s a scam.

And each time it happens, there are two victims: those desperately looking to rent an affordable home, who are out thousands of dollars; and a local realtor who has nothing to do with the crime, but who’s had angry victims have shown up at her own home demanding money the scammer stole using the realtor’s good name.

In the hunt for a place for her daughter and grandson, Fatima Hopkins found what she thought was the perfect opportunity.

“When I went on the Craigslist, there was another link that led me into a Zillow page,” she recalled.

That page had, in part, the name of realtor Luisa Chacon and some biographical information that checked out.

“I did her license number. I ran her name. We looked for Instagram,” Hopkins said.

And, sure enough, “she had an Instagram with some apartments and homes allegedly that she has sold.”

Plus, a Fort Lauderdale studio apartment rental at an unbeatable price.

“It was $850 (a month) utilities included,” Hopkins said. “I said, ‘Okay. Well in this market, that's a grab.’”

A real steal -- only Hopkins was the one about to be stolen from, sending $400 to keep it off the market, then another $1,210, just as the phony realtor instructed.

“Send it through Zelle,” she said the scammer told her. “I told her ‘Well, can I meet you?’ She says, ‘Here's the deal. I don't do meetings. I work like an Airbnb.’”

True … if Airbnb were a scam.

Because miles away in the Doral offices of a real broker, the real Luisa Chacon was getting nasty calls from people she doesn’t know.

“There’s one who contacted the office and threatened the office and threatened me, threatened the broker,” Chacon said, people who sent thousands to the fake Chacon.

“These people have lost money -- $2,000, $4,000, $1,800 -- because they send deposits through Zelle in order to secure the property.”

And, in the process, made Luisa Chacon, who’s worked years to build a solid reputation, a victim as well.

“If you search by name, what’s going to show up is her profile and my profile, both with the same information,” she demonstrated on Google.

Except the phone number and email used to scam people -- contacts no one responded to when NBC6 reached out.

But among the accurate information listed are Chacon’s state real estate license number and home address.

And that’s a problem.

Citing her license number, someone filed a complaint against her with the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which has not taken action against her as it has been informed Cachon is being victimized as well.

But more importantly, she says others have used her home address to pay her visits.

“They are angry. Even written threats to the office,” she said, noting one angry victim came to her house last week, prompting her to call police.

She says she also called police and other law enforcement repeatedly months ago when she learned her good name was being sullied by a scammer.

But “They’re not investigating, and they told me, they were very blunt: this isn’t going anywhere,” she recalled.

So, she brought in attorney Willard Shepard to help keep her record clean with the state.

And Shepard has some advice to would-be renters.

“If you receive a phone call where the realtor says, ‘Oh, I can’t make it, can’t come to show the property myself,’ that is a gigantic red flag.”

And, he said, never send funds through a cash app.

“You want a written record of what you’re doing in this type of transaction, and you want any money transferred directly to the broker because that’s what the regulations require,” he said.

Hopkins had a written contract -- one the property’s owner had no idea existed and which she says the scammer later told her was canceled and – not to worry -- a full refund would be coming soon.

“I let the seven days go. I said, ‘Where's my money?’ Phone number was changed. Emails never got written back,” Hopkins said. “I literally blew up her phone with all sorts of ‘you’re a thief,’ ‘You stole from us.’”

Indeed, she did. And it appears she’s still doing it on other websites.

Zillow took down the fake Realtor’s page after we contacted them.

NBC6 also contacted banks involved in the Zelle transfers and were able to get some money back for one victim.

But the vast majority of them are out of luck.

And cash.