'Fake landlord lied that his dad had died to scam my deposit'

'Fake landlord lied that his dad had died to scam my deposit' 3 hours ago Share Save Sophie Bott London investigations Share Save Sophie Bott/BBC Sarah North ended up sleeping on just a duvet in her family member's empty rental flat after being told she would need to find somewhere else to live Two days before Sarah North was about to move into her London Bridge flat, her would-be landlord told her his father had died and she would now have to find somewhere else to live . "He was giving breakdowns of what his actions were - he's got to see the solicitor, he's got to see the funeral director and he's making arrangements," says North. North has since learned she was not the only person Freddie Priestley had left in the lurch at the 11th hour after taking the deposit on a room in his three-bedroom flat. "He was giving such detailed dialogue, it's like this is all lies," says North, who ended up sleeping on a duvet in a family member's empty rental flat while frantically searching for somewhere else to live. The situation, she says, was "absolutely horrific". "It does open your eyes to the way of renting in London, this is something that happens very often." Her deposit was not returned. According to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, 4,441 cases of rental scams were reported in the past year across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with people aged between 20 and 29 years old proving the most likely to fall prey. …