Woman tries to sell house she doesn’t own and scams would-be buyer, Tennessee cops say

A woman scammed a would-be homeowner by trying to sell a house she didn’t own, Tennessee police said.

The 60-year-old from Memphis is now charged with theft, Shelby County records show.

The victim was looking to buy a home, and the woman approached her saying she was “into investment properties” and could help her with her search, police said in an arrest affidavit.

The woman showed the victim several homes, then drafted a contract on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Bartlett, just outside Memphis, authorities said.

As part of the contract, police said the woman told the would-be homebuyer that the owner required a $2,000 earnest money payment, so the buyer gave her a check.

However, when the buyer had the property inspected, she was told the home needed too many repairs to qualify for her Federal Housing Administration loan, and she had to pull out of the deal, according to police. She asked for her money back multiple times, but the woman never returned her $2,000, she told police.

The homebuyer contacted Memphis police Dec. 28, nearly three months after she said the woman took her money.

Memphis police looked at county property records and found the woman didn’t own the Bartlett home. They contacted the owner, who told police the woman didn’t have permission to sell the property.

On Jan. 20, the would-be homebuyer identified the Memphis woman as the person accused of stealing her money.

She was taken to Shelby County jail, then she was released on her own recognizance. Her attorney information is not listed in court records.