Thousands Of Dollars Stolen In Salem Rental Scam

SALEM (CBS) - Police in Salem are looking for a man they say swindled families out of thousands of dollars for an apartment they thought they could call their own.

Investigators say the man at the center of the alleged scheme,
34-year-old Jayson Fallis passed himself off as a landlord and promised them a new start. Instead, this accused con artist who their money.

Police say Fallis posted an ad on Craigslist for the Boston Street apartment that he had just vacated.

The ad describes a "huge, two-bedroom apartment" for $850 a month.

"He was asking people for a security deposit or a month's rent ahead of time, took the money and then took off with it," said Lt. Conrad Prosniewski.

WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports

At least seven people have come forward saying they fell for the scam, and police expect more to surface. Each victim put down at least $1,200 to $2,000.

Neighbors say they saw Fallis showing the apartment to prospective tenants, who were unaware of the setup.

"He would be holding a clipboard," said neighbor Sean Kareen. "On Saturday somebody came over trying to find him to give him more money."

Neighbors say people have left crying when they showed up on what they thought was moving day and were instead locked out.

"There (have) been people that have showed up ready to move in with their stuff," said one neighbor who didn't want to be identified. "This girl had two grand taken from her with nowhere else to go. It's horrible."

Police say Fallis is known around the city for petty crimes but that this is a new low.

Investigators are still looking for Fallis. They are circulating a picture of his vehicle, a 2000 Mercedes Benz with license plate 714RD5.

He's apparently been in contact with police and they are trying to convince him to turn himself in.

"He knows he's in a lot of trouble and he's trying to figure out what to do," said Lt. Prosniewski.