HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – A Valley mom and daughter trying to find a place to rent found themselves the victims of an online rental scam, costing them $700.
When Ronda Henderson placed an ad on Craigslist saying she and her daughter, Virginia Bowling, were looking for a place to rent, they immediately got a response. They spoke to the property owner on the phone, and they drove by the property.
What first seemed like a miracle quickly started looking suspicious.
“That night he ends up calling me saying I need the money now so that way I can do the sewer and water so the town knows to keep it on. That right there is when I started saying this don’t seem right,” Bowling said.
Then, he asked for payment through Cashapp under a different name.
“I should have then said that’s not right because it’s going to go directly to a banking account of the landlord or something of that order,” Bowling said.
However, they needed a house.
“I’m pregnant, I’m desperate, so when he said you know your application went through, you’ve got the credit that we need. Like, this is a miracle that this is happening, but all of a sudden I started questioning the decisions I was making,” Bowling said.
They continue to look for a home, but they haven’t had any luck. The two are on limited income, they have pets, and Henderson is disabled. All three of those factors limit the possible properties they could rent.
“Her being disabled and handicapped, it’s harder because we can’t…
