Mashpee man charged with scamming victims out of $32K using East Boston apartment

A Mashpee man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly scamming victims out of thousands of dollars by showing an apartment in East Boston and collecting deposits before ignoring the prospective tenants.

Timothy Andreev, 40, was arrested just before 6 p.m. He was sought on eight warrants for charges of larceny by scheme, according to Boston police. 

Over the past month, police received eight similar reports of fraud. Victims said they found an apartment for rent in East Boston using Facebook and contacted the person listing the apartment to arrange walkthroughs.

After being contacted, Andreev would allegedly show the unit and request deposits to secure the apartment. Victims were told that they would be able to pick up their keys at a later date, according to police.

But Andreev allegedly collected the deposits and then blocked the victims on online platforms. He would not return any of their calls, police said. 

Andreev received a total of $32,000 in just a month with the scam, police said. He was located in Mashpee and arrested without incident. He is expected to be arraigned in East Boston District Court.

Police offered the following tips to avoid being victimized by similar schemes:

• Do not wire funds to people you do not know.
• Do not put money towards a house or apartment you have not seen.
• Confirm the identity of the landlord by researching public records to find out who owns the property you are seeking to rent or purchase.
• Do not fill out applications online until you have met directly with the property manager.
• Know local rental prices.
• Look for online reviews, references, and testimonials from past inhabitants.
• Be wary if a potential tenant wants to rent property sight unseen.
• Be wary if a potential renter says they are out of town and will send you a cashiers’ check.
• Be wary if a potential landlord says they are out of the country and wants the rent sent to a foreign account.
• Do not accept overpayment for properties. If you receive a check for more than the specified amount, return it. Do not deposit it.