'Fake landlord lied that his dad had died to scam my deposit'

Two days before Sarah North was about to move into her London Bridge flat, her would-be landlord told her his father had died and she would now have to find somewhere else to live.

"He was giving breakdowns of what his actions were - he's got to see the solicitor, he's got to see the funeral director and he's making arrangements," says North.

North has since learned she was not the only person Freddie Priestley had left in the lurch at the 11th hour after taking the deposit on a room in his three-bedroom flat.

"He was giving such detailed dialogue, it's like this is all lies," says North, who ended up sleeping on a duvet in a family member's empty rental flat while frantically searching for somewhere else to live.

The situation, she says, was "absolutely horrific".

"It does open your eyes to the way of renting in London, this is something that happens very often."

Her deposit was not returned.

According to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, 4,441 cases of rental scams were reported in the past year across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with people aged between 20 and 29 years old proving the most likely to fall prey.

Moving to London from her native California for a master's degree, Deryn Harris was another who handed over a deposit for a room in Priestley's flat.

"Studying abroad was something I've always wanted to do," the 27-year-old says. "When I got my acceptance letter, I was like, 'oh my gosh, is this actually happening?'"

Keen to secure a room, she posted on Facebook housing pages that she was seeking a place to live.

Priestley responded saying his flat was available for rent and she should come to view it quickly before it was snapped up.

"It was a really good price for what he was saying," says Harris, "and he sent me pictures to go along with it".

The monthly rent, including bills in the London zone one property would be £1,050 per month - far lower than average for the area.

"It all took place within a couple of hours, messaging back and forth, viewing the apartment over video call. I signed the agreement and sent the money the same day," says Harris.

"It also seemed like he was in a rush a little bit.

"By the time I really thought about it, I had already sent him the deposit money."

Harris claims Priestley gained her trust by sending copies of gas certificates, household bills and his driving licence, which linked him to the address. She also checked the land registry which showed the flat was owned by his father.

Despite this, Harris couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, so she tried to back out of the lease.

"He seemed quite receptive," she says, claiming Priestley assured her the deposit would be returned.

In the next few weeks he blamed bank holidays and the international money transfer system for delays.

"It was a gradual losing of hope," says Harris. "I totally knew that at this point it was most likely a scam, I just didn't want to fully admit that to myself.

"He wasn't fully ghosting me, but he would breadcrumb me until I basically had enough and posted on Facebook."

She decided to write another post warning others about being scammed.

The post generated a large response, including from others who claimed to have had similar experiences.

They include Australian Andy Hu, who, like Harris, had posted on Facebook saying he was looking for a room.

In came a message from Priestley about a flat he had available, he says.

Hu went to view the flat in person and felt he and Priestley had a rapport.

"He was telling me how we can watch rugby together, talking about the future, what we can do together as flatmates," says Hu.

"I thought, 'this is the perfect flatmate'."

Hu checked Priestley's social media to confirm he was a real person.

"It traced back to 2008, so there's no way that he could make it overnight," says Hu.

"I thought, this is a normal person that I'm dealing with."

However, once the contract was signed and the deposit paid, Hu says he noticed Priestley began avoiding meeting up by claiming either he or his father was unwell.

By law, landlords must put deposits in a government-approved deposit protection scheme within 30 days.

When Hu became suspicious, he contacted the service to check his deposit was properly accounted for.

The service told him the receipt he was given was not genuine.

"I was too far deep that I didn't want to admit that it was a scam, because I really wanted to live in that flat," says Hu.

Then Priestley told Hu that his father had died, so he could no longer move into the flat.

"He was just making up lies and lies and lies.

"I was asking my friends if I was able to stay with them if I can't find a place," says Hu, who was now without the deposit money he needed to find alternative accommodation.

"I think that was probably the lowest point of my life," he says.

The BBC asked the Deposit Protection Service about Hu's case but was told it would not comment "on individual landlord or tenant customers without their permission".

In a statement, the organisation said: "We do monitor for irregular activity and we suspend accounts where there is evidence this has taken place, such as non-payment of deposits."

It added there was "currently no mechanism inside the current legislation to check a landlord's credentials".

• Advice and support for those affected by scams and fraud in the UK are available at BBC Action Line

As part of our investigation, we have spoken to four other people who say they lost more than £6,000 between them in the same scam.

One was an international student who had to live in a hostel for a week after being left without accommodation at the last minute.

"I could barely sleep at all," she says. "I had to force myself to eat sometimes, I just had no appetite, because I was so anxious about not having housing in a new country by myself."

In an email to one victim, Priestley admitted the flat was never available for rent and he took their money due to a gambling addiction. He said he eventually wants to make things right by returning the money.

Nye Jones from Generation Rent, a campaign group for private renters, says rental scams are a growing issue.

"What we're seeing is there's less affordable homes for people to rent," he says.

"More people are getting sucked in by the scammers offering prices that are too good to be true."

He says that the introduction of the Renters Rights Act is "a vital first step in addressing the power imbalance between tenants and landlords.

"Sometimes in scams we see the scammer asking for a huge amounts of rent in advance upfront to try and maximise their profits - so if someone is asking you for two or three month's rent in advance, that would be illegal."

• From May, properties will be rented on a "periodic" or rolling basis, rather than under a fixed 12 or 24-month contract
• Tenants who want to leave can give two months' notice, which the government says will prevent tenants paying rent for substandard properties
• Landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants for complaining about poor conditions
• The bill will also end section 21 "no-fault" evictions

The BBC contacted Priestley for a response but he declined to comment.

In connection with the BBC's investigation, the Met Police said it had received "multiple reports of alleged rental fraud" between July and October 2025.

Priestley was initially arrested on suspicion of fraud before being released pending further inquiries.

The Met said the matter remains under investigation and urged anybody who has experienced a similar situation in London to make contact.

Facebook said it does not "allow fraudulent activity" and works "closely with law enforcement to support investigations and keep scammers off" its platforms.