Today, Irvine Police Department Economic Crimes Investigators arrested Surong Li, 29, of Irvine, for grand theft, possession of a fake identification, and theft by false pretense.

Li represented herself as a property manager and facilitated home lease agreements with victims. In some cases, the rental properties were fake; in other cases, she never transferred the victim’s money to the property owner. Investigators believe the loss to victims is over $200,000.

The Irvine Police Department is sharing this information to raise awareness of this type of scam and to ask other victims of Li to contact svoigt@cityofirvine.org.

Here is how to protect yourself from a rental scam:

• Use a reputable real estate agent or broker
• Always request a tour of the property
• Ask to speak to the property owner directly
• It is suspicious if:
  • You are pressured to lease right away
  • If you are asked to pay in cash
  • When there is no credit check involved
  • You are asked to send payments to individuals other than the homeowner or property manager.