A woman told police that she was out of town for several days, and when she returned, her neighbor told her about suspicious activity at her home. The woman was told that a U-Haul truck showed up at her home on Friday. The people in the U-Haul noticed her belongings inside the home, and asked the neighbor if the home was occupied. The neighbor confirmed that it was.
The people told the neighbor they had a key to the home and showed receipts where they had paid rent to move into the home. They then got back into the U-Haul truck and left.
The woman told police she found a website online where her home was listed for rent -- complete with pictures from a legitimate website -- by a man named Alex James with a St. Louis area telephone number. She contacted James, posing as a potential renter.
She said James told her he had keys to the home and would provide them once he received rent payment via wire transfer. Paducah police have not been contacted by the alleged renters in the U-Haul truck.
Police remind citizens to use caution when conducting business over the Internet.
