Consumer complaint received 2025-12-19 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Me and my boyfriend were looking for an apartment, and I found XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX which was XXXX and I sent him a request and he responded to me. I scheduled a tour to see him, he told me that I had to send him XXXX first, I told him okay, I went to the bank to send him the money, but the bank staff asked me questions about the person if I know him or not. I told them that I don't know them, they started telling me that they can't send the money if I don't know the person. They told me that I had to meet him first, and he also sent me a bank account, which is not here in California, it is in another state. Because of the concern of not having a place to live, we agreed to send him money through Zelle, my boyfriend sent him XXXX in his Zelle account. Afterwards He sent us an approval letter, that is why we were sure that they would give us the apartment and then he sent us another lease letter to sign and we signed it, he began to send us many accounts from other people to send him the money, and it became suspicious to us we sent him to cancel the apartment immediately, and that he would return the XXXX to us it happened 7 days later. I asked for my refund, he told me that I didn't owe anything and that the apartment was already ours, and that he had not canceled the apartment and continued asking for the {$600.00} to complete the XXXX deposit. He promised to show us the apartment if we sent him {$600.00}. We said okay, my boyfriend sent the {$600.00}, he made an appointment for us on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, we went, but he never arrived, he told us that he was cleaning the apartment so that everything was ready, he canceled the appointment, he scheduled us again on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, we went, he didn't arrive either, he canceled the appointment for the second time, that day we got frustrated, we told him to cancel the apartment. and he told us that he could not cancel until we paid him the {$800.00}. He told us if they pay the {$800.00} I will have your deposit immediately. We said okay, my boyfriend sent that money again in the zelle, because we were hoping to receive all the money. After that he never returned the money to us. He kept insisting on us always getting the apartment. We said no because he lied to us a lot, and then he told us like that again. If they really want the apartment they will have to deposit {$1600.00} in rent and if they don't want it they will have to deposit {$500.00} to cancel it. and we said that he would get it from the same money and that he would return XXXX to us and he told us no. and we said why not. You have the money, there it is the same money, he started telling us like this, leave it like that. They forget about money, we no longer believe in it. If he is really a scammer, even though we paid the rent of XXXX or the {$500.00} to cancel the apartment, he would never return the money to us, he took {$2400.00} and I would like to get it back, I am a single mother I just wanted rent, it is not fair for him to do that. the thing I suspect of him. The unit number did not rise. Please help me get my money back.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation