Two separate police agencies have warrants for the arrest of a woman claiming to sell real estate on the website Trulia.
Christine Rawlins listed on the website several houses that weren’t actually for sale, then collected about $17,000 from interested buyers who thought they were making a down payment, The Forest Park Police Department said.
Sgt. Kelli Flanigan told Channel 2 Action News that Rawlins took hard-working people's money.
“She needs to be apprehended and taken off the streets,” Flanigan said.
The would-be buyers told police Rawlins had documents to prove she was authorizes by a power of attorney to sell the home, police said.
The victim tried to do her due diligence in researching the home, meeting Rawlins in public and even photographing her identification, Flanigan told Channel 2, but it wasn’t enough to save her from Rawlins’ scam.
Authorities believe Rawlins is still trying to lure victims via Trulia, but the company released a statement:
"Our customer support team aggressively monitors activity on the site in a number of different ways and if a for-sale or rental listing is found to be fraudulent, it is immediately removed from Trulia."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Forest Park Police Department at 404-366-4141.
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