Warning: Do NOT Rent a House From This Guy

Harry Moore in a photo provided by the Philadelphia Police Department.

If you’ve ever rented a home before on Craigslist, it probably went something like this…

Step #1: Tour the home.
Step #2: Give the landlord a deposit.
Step #3: Move in.

Well, in the case of 8082 North Fayette Street in Northwest Philadelphia, multiple prospective tenants got to Step #2 but never quite made it to Step #3, thanks to alleged scammer Harry Moore, seen here.

According to police, Moore, who is 44 years old, used Craigslist to defraud multiple people. He would place an ad on Craigslist for the home and take money from a tenant as a deposit, but then he wouldn’t let them move in. Police say that after accepting a deposit and setting a move-in date, Moore would simply call the renter and make up some story as to why the house was no longer available. Naturally, the renter would want the deposit returned and Moore would initially agree and set a meeting, but then wouldn’t show up. Property records show that Moore does, in fact, own the home.

Moore is accused of using the scheme to take more than $10,000 from unsuspecting victims in four separate incidents from March until August, even taking money from two different parties within the same month.

According to court records, Moore is no stranger to the criminal justice system, with multiple arrests spanning the last 15 years in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. In December, he pleaded guilty to theft in Philadelphia and was sentenced to three years probation. If the new allegations are true, we’re guessing that this activity would violate that probation.

Police have warrants for his arrest, and anyone with information is being asked to call Northwest Detectives at 215-686-3352.