Dorchester man facing numerous fraud charges in room rental scheme
BOSTON, April 7, 2024 – A Dorchester man is facing numerous larceny, forgery and uttering charges in several Boston courts for a continuous scheme in which he advertised his room for rent on Facebook Marketplace, collected deposits from potential tenants, never allowed the tenants to move in and refused to return their money, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
BRUNO VIEIRA FERREIRA, 23, was released on personal recognizance after his most recent arraignment in West Roxbury BMC last month. He will return to court April 19 on that case, which involves a single charge of larceny over $1200 by false pretense. Ferreira faces numerous additional charges including larceny, larceny by false pretense, forgery and uttering a false check in Dorchester BMC and Central BMC.
Over the course of a few weeks in January and February Ferreira collected deposits from at least six potential tenants responding to a listing on Facebook Marketplace for a room for rent at 9 Taft Street in Dorchester. The payments, ranging from $450 to $1800, were made in cash or through Zelle, a peer-to-peer payment app. Ferreira collected $10,350 from potential tenants.
When the victims inquired about their scheduled move-in dates, Ferreira would give various excuses why they couldn’t move in, including saying that existing tenants hadn’t moved out so no space was available, or that family members of his had died and he couldn’t move out. Ferreira refused to refund any payments.
At around 8:30 a.m. on February 5, Boston police responded to 9 Taft Street for a call about a landlord-tenant dispute. Officers spoke to two men who stated they had signed and paid a $3,600 lease agreement for an apartment at the address. The men had encountered a resident at the address who told them he lived in the apartment for which they had signed a lease, and that no space was available. The resident said numerous other people had come to the home claiming to have paid deposits for the same apartment.
The resident told police that he believed that one of his roommates, later identified as Ferreira, had been advertising the room and scamming respondents.
Police were called to the same address on February 7 for a similar dispute. Officers spoke to a man who said he had paid a person, later identified as Ferreira, $1,350 for a room with a February 1 move-in date. The man told officers that Ferreira would not let him move in. While officers were talking to the victim, a different building resident approached and told them that he was aware of Ferreira’s scheme.
Detectives later entered the house and found a sign in the lobby that read: “Hello, if you are looking for a Bruno or have had money taken by him, we have no information either. There are multiple police reports on this case, and an eviction notice has been sent.”
Detectives obtained a warrant for Ferreiro’s arrest. Investigators soon learned that Ferreira had moved into a new apartment on Exeter Street in Boston. On February 28, officers assigned to the Boston Police Fugitive Unit entered the apartment and arrested Ferreira.
“This was a brazen, ongoing scam using a social media marketplace and digital or cash payments that was all too easy to fall for, and numerous victims did. Consumers need to be hyper-vigilant when it comes to property rentals of any kind because scammers are very good at using sites like Facebook Marketplace to advertise seemingly legitimate housing situations, all with the goal of fleecing trusting respondents,” Hayden said.
The Federal Trade Commission has a helpful website on tips of how to avoid rental scams. The City of Boston has a similar educational website.
With financial exploitation and abuse on the rise, District Attorney Hayden recently launched the Suffolk County Fraud Fighters, a multi-agency effort to help residents, particularly older adults, recognize common scams and signs of financial fraud. The next Fraud Fighter presentations are on Tuesday, April 9 at 11 a.m. at the Paris Street Community Center in East Boston and Wednesday, April 10 a 10 a.m. at the Boston Elk Lodge on 1 Morrell Street in West Roxbury.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications