Police unraveled an elaborate scheme Friday involving two men who allegedly posed as landlords and then collected up to thousands of dollars in payments from unsuspecting renters, authorities said.
According to police, the men entered at least two vacant Carlsbad homes that were in foreclosure and then listed them for rent on the Web site Craigslist.
They collected possibly thousands of dollars in security deposits and rent from several people, according to paperwork that officers found on the men.
The scam fell apart this week when a woman who thought she had rented a home on Adams Street near Magnolia Avenue tried to put the utilities in her name, said Carlsbad Lt. Matt Magro.
She was told that the house was in foreclosure.
The woman posted a warning about the scheme on Craigslist, and it caught the eye of another potential renter who was about to meet the men at another home on Sierra Morena Avenue on Friday.
They notified Carlsbad police, who showed up at the 1 p.m. meeting and arrested the duo.
The men, ages 34 and 38, both of Orange County, were booked on suspicion of fraud, burglary and illegal use of the Internet. Bail was set at $300,000 each.
Police are investigating whether several other homes in Carlsbad and other cities may have falsely rented to people by the men.
Anyone who believes they may be a victim is asked to call police at (760) 931-2197.
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