Somerville Rallies Around Mother, Child Victimized By Rental Scam

SOMERVILLE, MA – An online fundraising campaign has helped a Somerville mother and her daughter recoup the money they lost through a rental scam – and then some. Jenny Marroquin, a 2017 graduate of Somerville High School, and her 5-year-old daughter, Anjeli, had $1,600 stolen that was intended for a an initial deposit on an apartment. Now, community members are raising thousands for the young mother to help her find another home.

The scheme, which was the subject of a report by WBZ's I-Team, involved a person posing as the owner of an apartment listing the home on Apartments.com. The listing used pictures from a legitimate Zillow post, and the "owner" required Marroquin to transfer a security deposit and first month's rent on a pre-paid Visa card through Airbnb.

When Marroquin received emails requesting more money – second and third month's rent – she began to suspect something was wrong, and the initial $1,600 disappeared, according to WBZ. She had borrowed money from her boyfriend's family to help secure the apartment after spending 11 months in a shelter in Dorchester.

Upon hearing of the theft, Zanny Alter, an advisor at Somerville High School who worked closely with Marroquin, started a YouCaring campaign to help Marroquin find a new apartment and continue her goal of becoming certified as a sign language translator. Marroquin uses sign language to communicate with Anjeli, who is deaf and attends The Beverly School for the Deaf.

The campaign so far has raised over $10,000 of its $15,000 goal. An anonymous donor also sent Marroquin a check for the entire $1,600 she lost as a result of the scam.

Marroquin told WBZ she has "no words" for how thankful she and her daughter are for the outpouring of support.

>>>Click here to contribute to the YouCaring campaign.

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