Email Scam Costs Westlake Resident $1,000

WESTLAKE, OH - An email spoofing scam cost a Westlake resident $1,000 recently, according to police reports.

According to police, a resident told police on May 24 that they had been the victim of a fraud. The resident said the whole thing spun out of a desire for a new house.

The resident had been working with a realtor to look at houses. Since they were in the middle of the shopping process, when the resident got an email from the realtor saying they needed earnest money for a property, the resident didn't think much of it.

The money was sent to the realtor and that was that.

Except, later, the resident learned their realtor never sent an email asking for money. Someone had created a similar-looking email to the resident's realtor and then used that spoof to ask for money.

The email address was tracked to Germany, according to police. A fraud report was also generated.