An American woman who arrived in Edinburgh to find the flat she was moving into never existed was ‘completely blindsided’.
Olivia Ellen Homer, 29, came to the capital on January 6 ahead of starting a course at Napier University. The following day, she made her way to what she thought was her new home to pick up the keys and start her Edinburgh adventure.
On arrival, she found the address was in fact a family home and was informed that they didn’t rent out any rooms. Olivia, who flew here from Chicago with her cat Ladybug, had already paid £1366 – a deposit and the first two months rent.
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She had found the ‘flat’ through social media, communicating with who she thought would be her future roommate and then being passed on to a ‘landlord’. When she went to the flat on January 7, after attempting to get in touch with them, they blocked her.
While Police Scotland were ‘very helpful’, Olivia was told there was little they could do as the crime was actually committed while she was still in the US. She’s been advised to contact authorities back in Chicago.
Olivia now wants those looking for a place to stay on the internet to know that if it ‘looks too good to be true, it probably is’.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she said: “I was accepted to Edinburgh Napier University in August. I’d started to kind of look at things then, but a lot of what I was seeing it was too early.
“As I didn’t start till January I got a little jump on it, joined some Facebook groups and stuff. Since I have the cat, I was hunkering down on finding pet friendly accommodation.
“I’ve lived all over the US – Florida, Chicago, Atlanta – so I’m very upfront about things and tell people I’m a student with an animal, and give all the details. Somebody reached out to me through Facebook messenger after I’d posted in a group.
“They said they had a room with an ensuite bathroom, it was her and another girl as the flatmates. They told me the price and all the other information.”
Olivia said her ‘first red flag’ was that the person gave her the price in Euros. When questioned, the individual said that they paid the landlord in Euros – then giving her the price in pounds.
‘It was really disappointing, I felt very blindsided’
(Image: Olivia Ellen Homer)
She continued: “I have some friends in the UK so I questioned it, but her explanation seemed to make sense.
“I thought maybe the landlord is very accommodating with the girls and their foreign accounts. I wasn’t super aware of how the situation would work. They sent a bunch of videos and pictures, and everything seemed great. They were fine about my cat as well.”
She was then told that the person was going to pass on her information to a landlord who would be in touch. Olivia didn’t hear anything for a few weeks, so followed up.
The individual said they would give the landlord a nudge, and she got a message from them the next day on Whatsapp.
She told us: “The landlord said that they had heard I was interested in the unit, and I asked what she would need from me.
“She asked me for a lot of things that were very normal. I then asked if I could have a friend of mine who lives in Edinburgh come and view the unit, and if I need a guarantor.
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“She said no to the guarantor, just my parents’ details would be fine. Then she said, in a lot of detail, that there were currently tenants in the apartment and it would not be possible for a visitation.
“She said it would be against the ethics of leasing an apartment and would be a violation of privacy. The way she said it made a lot of sense. I didn’t know UK laws, and it sounded so reasonable.”
Olivia then gave her phone number, acceptance to university letter and parents information over as well as the date she would be moving in. She was told she would receive the lease through her email.
She sent it on to friends who live in Edinburgh, who said it looked legitimate and like ‘any other lease they had seen’. She signed it, and then sent over the deposit and first two months rent.
Olivia added: “None of it was setting off major red flags.
“Those are very normal things to require in the US. Everything was paid, and I got a receipt sent over and told it was good to go – that was end of October time.
“I kind of washed my hands of it, I had sorted one thing and that was housing taken care of. Getting an animal into the UK is a lot so I moved on to that.”
In late December, Olivia got in touch again as she hadn’t heard from the landlord or her ‘new flatmate’ in a while. She reminded them of her move in date, and asked what time she should pick up the keys.
She continued: “We agreed 2pm on January 7. That’s the day after I was set to arrive, which gave me time to get set up in my hotel and get the cat organised. I had a few days booked on the hotel which gave me a transition time.
“2pm comes on Tuesday, and me and my travel companion – a friend who came to visit some friends and is heading back to the US soon – walked over to the address that the unit was at, and it was a family home.”
Olivia rang the doorbell, with a woman then ‘poking her head out the window’. She informed her that it was a family home, and they didn’t rent to people.
Olivia’s cat Ladybug
(Image: Olivia Ellen Homer)
She had sent a message to the landlord saying she was on her way that morning, and didn’t receive a response. She messaged again to say she was at the residence.
Olivia added: “I messaged the girl from Facebook asking if she had moved in, saying that I was at the residence.
“The typing bubbles appeared, and they kept appearing, but no messages got sent. She didn’t respond.
“After about ten minutes, we started putting the dots together. I messaged the girl again saying ‘if this is a scam, please let me know so I can find other housing’. A few minutes later she blocked me.”
Olivia had flown into Dublin with Ladybug, before hours of transportation – heading up to Belfast before coming across to Stanraer and over to Edinburgh.
She told us: “I had the day from hell.
“My poor cat is so stressed out. She has never travelled in her carrier this much.
“I was exhausted. It was really disappointing, I felt very blindsided.
“I’m 29-years-old, I cross all my T’s and dot all my I’s. I’m very organised.
“It’s one of those things that I thought I’d be able to tell when something wasn’t right. I’m a big Taylor Swift fan and trying to get tickets for that I was very aware of scammers.
“I have a pretty good compass. I did all my due diligence, and they answered all the questions I had.
“I still can’t believe they responded to meet a week before I arrived to set up a time to pick up the keys. They had my money, why even bother?”
Thankfully, Olivia has friends in the city who she says have been ‘wonderful’ amid her crisis. She’s got a few things ‘in the pipeline’, and hasn’t lost hope on her Edinburgh adventure.
She does however want others to be wary when looking for accommodation online. She warned: “If something seems too good to be true it probably is.
“I asked a lot of questions. The police said I did all the steps I needed to do.
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“Realistically though, the price was too good to be true. It wasn’t in line with things that I was seeing.
“I had seen the average going rate for things. I think I was a little bit starry eyed and thought I’d just got very lucky.
“I did text my friends at the time and say it was too good to be true. I’d also say if someone messages you privately and doesn’t comment on the post you make, I’d disregard them.
“Most people will comment on the post and tell you they’ve messaged you. This person didn’t do that, they don’t want their name on the post.”
Olivia said that while Police Scotland were ‘very helpful’, they told her there was very little they could do. She added: “I met with police on Friday morning and they were very helpful. They went over everything I had, and they did say that I shouldn’t feel stupid.
“They said it was a very elaborate scam. Unfortunately, they said because I paid all my deposit and gave all my information while I was still in the US there isn’t much they can do here – I need to report it to the US authorities.
“As of right now, there’s no guarantee that the person who committed the crime lives in the UK. It could be anyone.”