Simi Valley woman charged in rental fraud scheme

VENTURA, Calif. – A 46-year-old Simi Valley woman was charged with two felony counts of grand theft after falsely advertising a rental home in Dec. 2023, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

A local family responded to the woman's advertisement for the home for rent as she claimed to have proper authority to lease the property, detailed the VCSO.

The family then paid the 46-year-old $2,500 for tenancy of the home a month later but investigations found both improper leasing power and no ownership of the property from her, explained the VCSO.

The family never received residency nor had their money refunded before the woman put up another advertisement for the home this March, according to the VCSO.

Another woman responded to the ad in April as the 46-year-old lied once again about her authority to rent the property, this time taking $4,000 in total after also claiming a need for a medical procedure, detailed the VCSO.

The second victim also never got to stay in the home nor got her money back and investigations indicate there could be additional victims.

Anyone with the 46-year-old's whereabouts or who has been defrauded by her should call the VCSO Real Estate Fraud Unit.