Shirley man arrested for scamming victims in rental fraud

Suffolk County Police arrested a man on Sept. 7 for allegedly scamming several people out of thousands of dollars they believed were for deposits on rental homes in the Mastic and Mastic Beach area.

Christian Anderson, a non-licensed realtor, using the alias Benjamin Conyers, located rental properties online and relisted them on a social media website claiming he was the realtor, from January to March of this year. He then arranged meetings with victims in bank parking lots in Shirley and Center Moriches and gave victims fraudulent residential agreements and keys in exchange for cash deposits. Upon arrival at the rental property, the victims found their key did not work or occupants were already in the home. Upon receiving the money from the victims, Anderson then blocked or deleted his social media account and stopped communicating with victims.

Following an investigation by Seventh Squad detectives, Anderson was identified, located, and arrested at his home, at approximately 11 p.m.

Anderson, 24, of Shirley, was charged with alleged Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, Grand Larceny 4th Degree, and Scheme to Defraud 1st Degree.

Detectives are asking anyone who believes they might have been scammed to contact the Seventh Squad detectives at 631-852-8752.