By Redacción
Redaccion@latinocc.com
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Jenifer Singh, also known as Jenifer Rios, 45, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of grand theft of personal property for scamming two families through a rental fraud scheme in Simi Valley.
In December 2023, Singh placed fliers at a Thousand Oaks laundromat advertising a home for rent in Simi Valley. A local family responded and spoke with Singh, who claimed she was authorized to lease the home. In January 2024, they paid her $2,500 in cash. However, Singh did not own the property and had no legal authority to rent it. The victims were never allowed to move in and never received a refund.
In March 2024, Singh posted the same property for rent on Facebook Marketplace. A Simi Valley family responded to the ad and met Singh at the house. Again, she claimed to be authorized to lease it and collected $3,000 in cash as a deposit. Shortly afterward, she requested an additional $1,000 for a supposed medical procedure. The victims gave her a total of $4,000 but never received access to the property or a refund.
The case was investigated by the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit in coordination with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in Newark, New Jersey. Singh was arrested on Dec. 8, 2024, at Newark Airport while attempting to board a flight to Paris, France. She was extradited shortly after to face charges in California. Senior Deputy District Attorney Dominic Kardum, a member of the Real Estate Fraud Unit, prosecuted the case.
Singh is scheduled to be sentenced on August 26, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court. She faces up to three years and eight months in prison.
The District Attorney’s Office is warning Ventura County residents to be vigilant when dealing with online rental listings. Common scam signs include below-market rental prices, demands for upfront payments before viewing the property, refusal to meet in person or via video call, exclusive communication through text or apps, use of stolen or stock images, pressure to send money quickly, unconventional payment methods such as cryptocurrency or gift cards, and listings on less-regulated platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
