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Macomb Man Wanted In Rental Scam

MACOMB TWP. (WWJ) - The Macomb County Sheriff's office is looking for a 31-year-old man they say conned several people out of security deposits for a home.

Sheriff Anthony Wickersham says Ibrahim El-Bathy put up a Craigslist posting for a home for rent in Macomb Township.

"He was pretty clever. He had the keys to the home, he'd show them the home, he'd provide some type of contract," Wickersham told WWJ Newsradio 950. "Even one couple ... two of the four victims, he did give them a key and said you're all set, only to find out when they came to home there was already someone else inside it."

The home is actually owned by El-Bathy's father, who police say was unaware of what his son was allegedly doing.

The couple currently living in the home were there under a false lease agreement, but the father provided them with a legal one.

A warrant has been issued for El-Bathy who faces four counts of false pretenses and using a computer in the commission of a crime.

Anyone with information on El-Bathy's whereabouts or information regarding additional victims is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 586-469-5151.

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