South Bay Apartment Hunters Duped by Serial Scammer
CAMPBELL (KPIX) -- Alexis Kuhlmann thought she found a great deal when she saw a one-bedroom apartment in Campbell listed for rent on Craigslist for only $1,500 a month, about $1,000 below the going rate.
But, according to Campbell police, 23-year-old Robert Milo had no intention of subletting his apartment or the other two he listed well below market value on Craigslist.
"Renters were getting excited about it, giving [Milo] cash, giving him cashiers checks and signing rental agreements that weren't real," said Campbell police Capt. Gary Berg.
Kuhlmann says she gave Milo $4,000 in cash in the first two weeks of October to cover the security deposit and first-month rent. But, when it was time to move in, Kuhlmann says Milo backed out and wrote her a personal check to refund her money. She took the check to the bank and soon realized it was all a scam.
"When I went to Citibank to try and deposit it, they confirmed that I could not withdraw from the account," Kuhlmann recalled. "It was like walking around with a vice in my chest for several days. I would go out into the car and cry just because of how difficult it was."
Police say the same scam played out with at least five other victims and possibly more.
Milo was actually arrested twice for the same crime and then released on his own recognizance both times.
Campbell police say he was let out because the jail was too crowded. The sheriff's office which operates the jail says he didn't have a violent history and, many times, suspects charged with white-collar crimes are released while awaiting trial.
