There are several swindling incidents recorded regarding homes for sale which were rented out by fake agents. For aspiring home owners or renters, this is a case that they should a cast a watchful eye on. Such is the case of Sheila Newton who was victimized by a man described as six feet and six inches tall; weighed 280 pound and an alleged real estate agent who wore a messy beard.

Something about this agent felt wrong. He sported a pair of sweatpants and a Colt’s jersey. He wants Sheila Newton’s payment for a house she’ll be renting which she’ll have to pay one month deposit and another month’s rental in cash, not in check. He also gives her a handwritten receipt, signed it with his name, however not the same name he used when they talked over the phone. SheilaNewton and police officers share the same sentiments about how wrong Richard Swoveland’s behavior was.

Several reports revealed the Swoveland, 38 years old, has swindled at least 8 people from 3 different countries. He is a licensed real estate agent who hailed from Indiana in 2008, and under a forged name, he was accused of promoting houses on Craiglist.com. His mode of operation included convincing people to rent a house which was originally a housing unit from US. Housing and Urban Development. When he was finally able to persuade the client to rent the unit, he presents them to the house using an HUD master key.

It is still a mystery to the HUD on how he got the key although police suspicions revolved around that he could be an intelligent licensed agent to be able to do it.

Newton finally agreed to a deal and got a house to rent. On January, she rented a house in Far Eastside. Later on, a family arrived and was surprised to see that someone was already living in a house they thought they had just bought from HUD. That was when Newton discovered that her gut feeling was right all along and that the deal was after all a scam.

Newton, thirty-eight years old, was surprised not only because the family had a key to the house too, which was already akward; but more unannounced guests would also be coming. On the following day, Six police officers knocked on her home with guns pointed inside and were trying to locate where Swoveland had gone to.

It was in Hancock County where Swoveland was caught and pleaded guilty for all the charges pressed on him. Meanwhile, Newton had to move out and the real owner of the house moved in.

Nowadays, it is quite hard to search homes for sale and get a good deal then find out that everything was just a scam and that the person you bought the unit from was not actually the owner. To avoid cases like Sheila Newton’s, it is important to consult a real estate expert before venturing out to any transactions.