‘Landlord’ Scammer Deceives More Victims
posted by Kayla Mady | February 13, 2024 | In NewsAn investigation by ABC 11 in January into a fake landlord scam later revealed multiple victims, and resulted in 5 felony charges for the man at the center of it.
ABC 11 reporter Diane Wilson covered the story of a newlywed couple who wanted to buy a home for the start of their new family, but ended up losing thousands of dollars instead. It turned out that the home presented to them was not even for rent.
Edwin Jamall Wilson claimed to be the home’s landlord, and walked Bianca Davis Spence through the home and let her take photos. She gave the man her deposit, and they signed a lease immediately.
The lease stated that their move-in date was December 20, 2023. With the many promises made for their move-in. The couple seemed to get more and more discouraged as, for some reason, their move was continuously put off.
In researching and writing this article, Wilson heard from others who had the same thing happen to them after signing leases and entrusting Edwin Wilson with deposits set towards the same rental for the same move-in period.
Spence later learned that Edwin Wilson lived in the home. It was property owned by his parents. After being confronted about situation, he eventually offered Spence a full refund. However, it never came.
Wilson eventually involved herself and questioned him. She was told several times that he would return the money. She was even given dates, but the money was never returned.
Now, more victims are speaking out about how they were also tricked out of their money by this man posing to be a ‘landlord.’
The Fayetteville Police Department charged Edwin Wilson with several felony charges. However, he has not yet been arrested.
Ireana Darity is one of many victims who has spoken out and made it clear she wants him to face consequences for his actions.
Darity was facing homelessness when she had her first point of contact with Wilson on Facebook. She says he gave her a pitch that involved helping single mothers, and being that this was her personal experience, she was in a difficult bind. She was sold.
Like Spence, Darity was allowed to tour the home. She was told he had just evicted the last tenants, but she could move in within a few days. She signed a lease immediately and paid a $300 deposit upfront. However, just like the others, Darity would never get to move into the home.
Darity recalled that Edwin Wilson continued to make excuses for why she could not move into the home and also continuously requested that she send him money. She automatically learned her help in disguise was a scam.
Darity has filed her own complaint with the FPD about her incident.
The investigation is still ongoing.
If renting sounds way too easy and too fast. Take some time to evaluate the situation and do your research. Police also advise researching proof of ownership and verifying it before signing a rental agreement.
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