LARGO, Fla. -- Four families who showed up at the same rental home at the same time all at once discovered they just had been defrauded.
Suspects Nicole Johnson, 29, and 32-year-old David Johnson are accused of trolling social media sites, looking for families hoping to sign for a rental property at 1091 Lexington Court.
Nicole Johnson is the daughter of the home's owner; David is her husband, Largo police say. A warrant is out for their arrest.
Largo police say the scheme appeared legitimate: each of the victims were given in-person tours fo the home, provided with signed leasing documents and given receipts for deposits, according to a news release. The Johnson's name even matched property and tax records.
But reality hit hard for the families. Police accuse the Johnson's of coordinating their move-in day to coincide with them leaving Florida for New York.
One of the families traveled from Indiana with all of their possessions in a U-Haul trailer. Because they couldn't afford a trip back, neighbors at the home were able to pitch in some cash back north.
Other families had to scramble to find another place to live.
In total, at least 12 families were defrauded of $1,000 to $4,300. Largo police suspect there are more people affected and the total loss might exceed $25,000.
Anyone who believes they, too, were defrauded are asked to call Largo police detective Young at 727-587-6757 or detective Allred at 727-586-7475.
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