Bend neighbors help scammed family from England
A British family with plans to spend a year in Bend arrived Tuesday to find out the house they rented didn’t exist. But thanks to friendly folks, they found a home for the night.
It’s an example of the increasingly popular vacation rental scam — a home posted on Craiglist, a wire transfer and a guest arrival to a place that’s already rented — or isn’t even there.
Simone and Marcus Fellows said Wednesday they fell in love with Bend years ago.
“It’s got everything we would want out of a place,” Simone Fellows said. “I think everyone thinks that as well, because it’s quite popular.”
That’s why they decided to come back with their three kids in tow.
But when they pulled into town, the NW Federal Street house they had rented on Craigslist didn’t exist.
Their so-called leasing agent changed the house address at the last second, so the house they’d been shown wasn’t available — and the new address was non-existent.
In the close-knit neighborhood, it didn’t take long for neighbors, including Jane and Mike Minckler, to notice something was wrong.
Jane Minckler saw Simone Fellows and the family sitting on the curb, trying to figure out what to do.
“Mom was crying, which I felt so bad,” Jane Mickler recalled.
And the family was uncertain.
“We were very upset, and suddenly there were people in the streets,” Simone Fellows said. “We had people trying to give us money. We had people offering us a night’s sleep. We had people giving us cookies, Popsicles. So lovely.”
And the Mincklers volunteered their home to the strangers.
“So we just brought them in and put them up for the night,” Jane Micnkler said. “I would always open my home for someone who needed it.”
Along with a pillow to rest their heads, the neighbors provided dinner, breakfast and anything else the visitors needed.
For Jane Minckler, it’s no problem — in fact, it’s fun.
“These people are wonderful,” she said. “I wish our house was bigger, so they could stay forever, actually.”
The Fellows are out $2,200 and said they’ll be surprised if they get it back. But right now, their biggest priority is finding a new home and getting their children into school.
If someone is interested in getting in touch with Simone Fellows about a place to live, you can find her on Facebook.
