Man who falsely advertised flat for rent pleads guilty to numerous counts of fraud

Monday, 3 February 2025 06:05

A man who falsely advertised his flat for rent to con numerous people out of hundreds of pounds has pleaded guilty.

Over the past year, Kyle Jackson, 31, of Hart Close, Wilton, repeatedly advertised his flat for rent online and arranged viewings with the victims.

He then took an average of £600 deposit and £600 first month’s rent from the victim, either via cash or a bank transfer into a relative’s account, and given an email or handwritten receipt.

He has then refused to rent out the property or return the money, giving excuses like he would get the money back to them the following week.

Jackson was reported to the police and arrested.

At Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (30th January), he pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud by false representation. He is due to be sentenced on March 12th.

PC Bues of Salisbury Response Team said: “Jackson is a prolific fraudster who has scammed several victims out of money which they needed to help keep a roof over their head.

“His actions have serious, real-world consequences – one of the victims was made homeless as a result.

“There can be no justification for this and processes are now underway to see if the victims can receive compensation.

“I would ask people that if you are renting a flat or a room, please remember to do your due diligence on where you are renting and who you are renting from.

“Go through reputable platforms if possible, for example your local estate agents, or renting websites which have basic verification for adverts.

“Keep all conversations on the platforms themselves to ensure the correspondence is kept.

“I would also encourage renters to always view in person first and not to send money beforehand, albeit that did occur in these cases.

“Please notify your bank at the earliest concern and never pay in cash.”