One North Central Florida woman came face to face with a scam artist from Nigeria and through a popular online website.

University of Florida Veterinary Technician Bonnie Heatwole was looking to rent a house on Craigslist. On the site she found a house for rent in Williston from a man claiming to be the owner, Adam Elisson, of the house and using an email address with his name on it. Through an exchange of emails he told her she can go see the house, but he couldn't be there to show it to her, because he was doing missionary work in Nigeria. When she got to the house, that's where she met the real Adam Elisson.

"As i was walking along the backyard a gentlemen came out of the house and wanted to know who I was and why I was there, and explained I responded to an ad that the house was for rent, and he said well that wasn't my ad," said Heatwole.

The real owner had put an ad on a rental website, which is where officials believed the scammer got his information. After knowing it was a scam, Heatwole continued emailing the scam artist until he eventually asked her to wire 1,100 dollars to Nigeria.
Officials say solving cases like these are hard to do, but if you come across a scam, to still immediately report it.