The St. Johns Sheriff's Office is warning the public of a rental property scam after a woman was scammed out of $1,600.
The office said Wednesday that a woman found a rental home while searching for available rent listings online. She contacted a person who identified himself as Pastor James Farina.
The woman made a $1,600 payment after she visited the potential landlord of the property in question, deputies said.
Elderly St. Augustine woman scammed by Nigerian she met on dating website
The woman was told to send payment to the man's attorney in Nigeria.
The woman said that as she waited for the lease papers and keys to be sent, she noticed the rental property was not taken off the market.
The woman located the registered owner of the property, who said she had no knowledge of the person the woman had contacted.
The property owner said she had not yet rented out the home.
This is the second incident of its kind this year in St. Johns County. In February, a man wired more than $1,300 to a scammer when he thought he was renting a beach home for his family.
In 2016, St. Johns authorities released a warning to the public for a similar scenario after a St. Augustine couple tried to rent a summer homer, only to later discover after some research that it was a fraud.
Cox Media Group
