Albert Linden did not own the luxurious house he told desperate potential renters they could call home for surprisingly low monthly rent. In fact, he was leasing the property from a landlord – although he’d never actually paid rent, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office.
Linden, 44, told people they could rent either the whole $1.9 million house at 13305 Indian Mound Road, or individual rooms, but then he stole the deposits and never delivered the door keys, sheriff’s Deputy Tom Turner said today .
Law enforcement is on the hunt for the Connecticut native, who posted ads on various websites including Craigslist.
Linden is charged with one count of organized scheme to defraud and 14 counts of grand theft.
He has bilked unwitting renters of at least $40,000, including $20,000 he tricked one man into believing would go toward a down payment to buy the house, Turner said. Linden typically pocketed $400 to $1,000 deposits from renters, authorities said.
Turner called Linden a “con artist of the first degree,” who advertised rooms and homes under “The Tropics Wellington” and “Stallion Holidays,” which aren’t licensed in the city or county for rentals.
“They looked legitimate,” said sheriff’s Cpl. Paul Rubino. “But when you looked up the company, you would see it isn’t legitimate. Sadly a lot of people don’t do that.”
Another 10 to 15 people have contacted the sheriffs office about being scammed by Linden, Turner said. “He’s very articulate and very smooth and very convincing,” Turner said.
Staff researcher Niels Heimeriks contributed to this report.
Tips to help avoid real estate scams:
- Always use a Realtor to help find rental properties. Our real estate agents provide their services for FREE! Not just that, but in most cases we will even cover the applications costs when you sign a lease with an apartment complex. Using a Real Estate ensure you are not scammed as the deposits are placed in escrow.
- If a deal seems to be too good to be true such as renting a four-bedroom house for $1,000 a month, for example, it probably is.
- Look for red flags: Check the state Division of Corporation’s website at www.myfloridalicense.com to make sure a real estate company exists before doing business with it.
Don’t be another victim of Real Estate scam artist – Use a licensed Real Estate brokerage.
