ATLANTA — An Atlanta actor says a fake realtor stole a thousand dollars from him, which he thought was a down payment for a luxury apartment.
Ramirez Williams said he was staying in a pad split boarding house and had to be out by last Friday.
Across the street, he saw a “for rent” sign, so he called the number. That’s when his troubles started.
Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray was there as Williams loaded his belongings into a U-Haul, but he has no place to move them to.
“I’m packing stuff now. I have no idea where I am gonna go because I don’t have no money to do it,” Williams said.
Williams said he paid $1,000 by Cash App for what he thought was a down payment for an apartment.
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He was sent a video tour by text after first calling the number on a “For Rent” sign across the street from his current home.
“When I saw this sign, I thought it was like a miracle, like God, or whatever. I found me a place or whatever. I guess it was too good to be true. And, I got it for $1,000,” Williams said.
Williams said he sent copies of his ID for a background check, paid the deposit and then was sent the address -- an apartment building in Atlantic Station.
Even after getting the money, the real estate agent continued to text him, right up until he walked into the front door.
“Even at 11 o’clock, I was about 10 minutes late, she called me asking me if I’m still on the way. And then she told me when I get there to come upstairs. So of course, I thought everything was true,” Williams said.
Gray tried calling the same number Williams did.
As soon as he identified himself, the woman hung up and would not answer his call again.
Williams filed a police report and reported the theft to Cash App.
He’s now staying in an extended stay hotel.
“She said that now I’m good, move on up. So, I thought that, like I said, was a sign from God because I do help out a lot of people,” Williams told Gray.
“She said you were moving on up?” Gray asked Williams.
“Yes, exactly like the Jeffersons, and I thought that too, but I was actually moving on down when she took my thousand dollars,” Williams said.
Williams is not sure where he can move to without that down payment money.
The security guard at Amli Atlantic Station told him that video he was sent was not even of an apartment in that building.
In a statement, AMLI Atlantic Station said:
“AMLI Atlantic Station has no affiliation with the individual responsible for this scam. We urge everyone to exercise caution when dealing with unknown parties and to verify the
“legitimacy of individuals or organizations and confirm directly with any business, including AMLI, on what forms of payment are recognized as acceptable prior to making such payment.”
Cash App also sent us a statement, saying:
“We have been made aware of recent reports concerning an individual who unfortunately fell victim to a scam perpetrated by a third party claiming to lease apartments on behalf of AMLI Atlantic Station.
“AMLI Atlantic Station has no affiliation with the individual responsible for this scam. We urge everyone to exercise caution when dealing with unknown parties and to verify the legitimacy of individuals or organizations and confirm directly with any business, including AMLI, on what forms of payment are recognized as acceptable prior to making such payment.
“Any individuals who have fallen victim to fraudulent scams are encouraged to contact the police. We will cooperate fully with all relevant authorities to help prevent and address instances of fraud wherever possible.”
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