If you’re looking online to rent or buy a home, watch for scams.

One young woman reached out to our 11 Call for Action team because she lost nearly $1,000 to a hoax. You might have seen this story on KKTV 11 News.

Sierra responded to an online ad for an apartment in Colorado Springs. “I found this apartment that was fully furnished. It was $800 a month,” Sierra said. “Utilities, internet, cable, everything was all included.”

The supposed landlord emailed her back and gave her an excuse as to why he was out of town. “I do off-shore oil rigging, so I’m never home. So I want to rent it out,” Sierra said. “He sent me a separate email link to a website called Home Away.”

HomeAway is a legitimate company where travelers can book vacation rentals, but this guy sent Sierra a link to a fake website that looked very similar.

The URL wasn’t the same as the actual company. Sierra filled out her personal information and paid $800 using Bitcoin, an unusual form of currency that’s hard to trace.

“It sent me another email telling me my registration was booked from August 1 of this year to August 1 of next year,” Sierra said.

As moving day approached, things took a turn. “I’m not getting really anything from anyone. So I decided to call Home Away to see if I could figure out what’s going on,” Sierra said. “No one knows what I’m talking about. He’s not answering, so I start to panic.”

Concerned, her boyfriend responded to the same ad. He got the same response from the fake landlord, so he decided to check the place out in person.

“He knocks on the door, and a little old lady comes out and she has no idea what’s going on,” Sierra said. “It’s nothing what the pictures that were sent to me look like; it’s not even remotely close. She pays twice, if not three times, the amount that I was told that I was going to be able to pay.”

After that, Sierra couldn’t reach the guy from the ad. “None of the links pulled back up. I can’t click on anything to go to the website. It just says page not found.”

HomeAway told me Sierra did not book or pay for anything through HomeAway’s website or app. The company says to make sure to use its legitimate website, home away.com, and only book and pay through their secure checkout. If you get a suspicious email, do not reply or click links.

Make sure to share this story with your kids and grandkids. Our Call for Action volunteers are hearing more and more from young adults who are falling for scams. We have done a great job of getting the word out to adults and seniors, so let’s spread the word about scams to the younger generations, too.