Wyckoff Mom Scammed Out of $4,100, Cops Say

A Wyckoff mom was scammed out of $4,100 after a phoney online landlord asked her to wire the money in order to secure an apartment for her daughter, Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said Tuesday.

According to Fox, the woman was recently searching online for an apartment for her daughter. When she reached out for more information on an apartment, she was contacted by a man who said he was the landlord, Fox said.

The man told her she could “save realtor fees by dealing with him directly,” and convinced the woman to wire $4,100 to a bank account, Fox said.

Though police declined to say where the apartment was, Fox said it was not in Wyckoff but “outside of this area,” and the entire transaction was being completed online.

The woman reported the payment to police last Thursday, after an additional request from the “landlord” to send more money to an account in the Philippines made her suspicious, police said.

“The matter is under investigation, but as in most scam situations, there is little chance that the money can be recovered,” Fox said. 

He also called the incident a “very common scam,” and warned residents against wiring money to people they don’t know.