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Darien Man May Have Lost Thousands In Craigslist Apartment Scam

DARIEN, Conn. -- A 51-year-old Darien man wired more than $2,000 to someone he met on Craigslist who duped him into thinking he had an apartment for rent in Stamford, according to police.

A Darien man trying to rent an apartment in Stamford that he found on Craigslist may have been scammed out of more than $2,000.

A Darien man trying to rent an apartment in Stamford that he found on Craigslist may have been scammed out of more than $2,000.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue, File

Police said that the man reported on June 7 that he had been in contact with a "Cory Hopper" via texts and emails for about a month concerning an apartment rental. The man told police that he had met "Cory Hopper" through a Craigslist post advertising the apartment rental at 101 Park Square in Stamford.

The man said he was being pressed for time by "Cory Hopper" and told that he would potentially lose the apartment rental, so he caved and wired $2,482.05 from his bank account to a "Luis King," who was using a United Bank of Charleston, SC bank account. After wiring the money, he contacted the leasing office for the apartment and was told that neither "Cory Hopper" or "Luis King" was employed or known to anyone there. He also learned that Stamford Police had been notified of other potential victims of the scam as well.

The victim called his bank to stop the wire transfer, and police said it is uncertain if he actually stopped it in time or if he suffered a financial loss. Police said that the investigation is ongoing, and that CitiBank and the United Bank of Charleston have both been notified and have opened their own investigation.

"Once again, the Darien Police Department strongly cautions our residents to weigh all aspects of any online or wire transactions thoroughly and to fully consider all potential transactions with a high level of due diligence," Darien Police said. "Sending or wiring money 'sight unseen' or transacting business with unknown parties over the internet is many times a likely recipe for a significant loss.

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