Woman searching for Florida rental home says she was tricked into paying wrong person

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Connecticut woman is turning to law enforcement to get her money back after she says she was tricked into paying the wrong person for a rental home in Kissimmee.

Now she's warning others about potential scams.

"They sent me the picture of the house and the application, and he called me," said Aline Miranda.

Miranda has been looking to move to Kissimmee and found a house she liked online.

She says she spoke to someone on the phone claiming to be the owner, who gave her an application and a lease to sign.

She had a friend in town to take a look for her.

"The house was too beautiful. I mean too beautiful for $1,450 rent," said Oscar Lima, who lives in the Kissimmee area.

Miranda says she paid a $1,450 deposit via Zelle and was told she could come down and get the keys.

"I buy the ticket, Connecticut to Orlando, and he said okay I’ll meet you at the house tomorrow," Miranda said. "And I go. When I go, they’re not showing up."

Miranda says the man claiming to be the owner of the home never showed up, and won't send the money back.

She soon found out the home was listed for $1,000 more a month by the real owner.

Now, she's warning anyone in the market to rent a home to make sure they meet someone in person.

While filing a complaint with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, Miranda and Lima say they weren't the only ones there reporting alleged rental fraud, though it's unclear if it was because of the same suspect.

"We were there, a few other people were there complaining to the sheriff’s department that they lost a lot of money," Lima said.