FB Marketplace rental scam

[admin]

The victim stated she saw a house for rent listed on FB Marketplace and had been speaking with a male, Dustin Sutton, who had created the listing. She stated that she paid him a down payment of $1,500.00 through PayPal. She stated that she drove by the house and saw a “For Sale” sign in the yard. She stated she spoke with the real-estate agent on the phone and told her she had paid to rent the property and the agent told her that the owner was selling, not renting. She spoke with the real-estate agent, she noticed the posting for the rental property on FB Marketplace had been deleted. She also noticed that the photos on the profile are the same ones that the listing agent used. The agent was able to confirm that she had not been speaking with the owner of the property. She stated she messaged Dustin yesterday about a refund and he told her that once he found a new renter, he would refund her money back. She stated she has asked for a refund multiple times since then and he refuses to refund her the money.