Dad's trauma after 'losing £2,000 in rental scam'

Macben Echianu said he was desperate for a new home where his children could stay over

A father who was only days away from moving into his new house has described his horror at discovering other people were already living there.

Macben Echianu, 43, said he thought he had found the perfect three-bedroomed place on Gumtree to rent for himself and his three children in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester.

The mental health nurse said he went for a viewing on 19 June with a woman who claimed to be the property's owner, signed a tenancy agreement to move in on 1 July and paid a £1,000 deposit and the same again in advance rent.

Mr Echianu told the BBC he had reported the scam to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and then Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre.

'Really panicking'

He said he had been looking for a new place so that his children could stay overnight.

Mr Echianu said he had been slightly suspicious during the viewing because the white sheets and towels on the bed reminded him of a short-term let, and he was told council tax was included in the rent.

Despite those misgivings he said he agreed to rent the house.

"When you are desperate you don't really think properly," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

With the scammer claiming others were interested in the house, Mr Echianu said he paid her £2,000 and arranged to do an inventory checklist a couple of days later.

When she stopped replying to his texts and calls, though, he said he felt concerned and decided to visit the house.

"Lo and behold I saw people in the property," said the father-of-three. "I was really panicking at that point."

He said one of the residents told him she had booked the property through Airbnb.

Mr Echianu said he again tried in vain to contact the "owner".

When he later received a text to say the inventory check was still on, though, he said it "was like a sigh of relief".

But that meeting was cancelled at the last minute by the woman, he said.

The prospective tenant headed back to the house and saw it was still occupied.

Neighbours told him its owners had started letting the house out on various websites after they moved out.

'Trauma'

He checked online and found the house being advertised.

"I knew then it was scam," said Mr Echianu, who added that "the trauma has put [me] off looking for somewhere else - I don't trust anyone anymore".

Mr Echianu said he was still in the same accommodation where his children are unable to stay over.

A spokesperson for Gumtree UK said: "The safety of our users is our absolute priority, and we do not tolerate fraudulent activity on our platform.

"We require that property ads on our site comply with government regulations for property advertising, and we list prominent safety advice for prospective tenants on our website, which recommends that all potential tenants check the relevant paperwork, ask to see proof of ownership, and ensure a tenancy agreement is in place before paying deposits or holding fees.

"We strongly urge anyone who thinks they may have come across a scam or experiences suspicious behaviour to report it to us immediately via the Report button.

"Our dedicated trust and safety team will investigate and take necessary action, such as removing adverts and blocking offending users, and supporting law enforcement in their investigations."

Airbnb said: "While to our best knowledge this was not reported to us at the time, as part of our investigation we have removed an individual from the platform."

GMP confirmed it had received a report of fraud, with the alleged victim being referred to Action Fraud.

Claire Webb, acting director of Action Fraud, said the report was being assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) at the City of London Police.