Dorchester man faces slew of charges from alleged room rental scheme

A Dorchester man who allegedly collected more than $10,000 from individuals as part of a room rental scheme faces a slew of charges in several Boston courts, officials announced Sunday.

Police said Bruno Vieira Ferreira, 23, collected the money from at least six potential tenants seeking to rent a room on Taft Street in Dorchester through Facebook Marketplace. Ferreira allegedly collected the payments, ranging from $450 to $1,800, via cash or Zelle, ultimately totaling $10,350.

When individuals reached out to Ferreira, inquiring when they could move into the room, he allegedly provided potential tenants with excuses as to why they would not be able to move in, police said.

“This was a brazen, ongoing scam using a social media marketplace and digital or cash payments that was all too easy to fall for, and numerous victims did,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.

Boston police responded to a landlord-tenant dispute on the morning of Feb. 5 at the Taft Street residence, officials said. Officers spoke to a pair of men who claimed they signed and paid for a $3,600 lease agreement for an apartment and even met a resident who told them he lived in the apartment they signed a lease for and that the space was not vacant.

The resident allegedly told the two men others had come to the residence claiming to have paid the same deposits for the room. The resident also told police he believed one of his roommates, later identified as Ferreira, had been listing the room online and falsely advertising its’ availability, officials said.

A similar dispute two days later resulted in police responding to the Taft Street residence where officials said they spoke to a man who paid Ferreira $1,350 for a room he was scheduled to move in on Feb. 1. Another building resident approached the police talking with the man and said they were aware of Ferreira’s scheme.

Detectives later entered the building and encountered a note in the lobby that read:

“Hello, if you are looking for a Bruno or have had money taken by him, we have no information either. There are multiple police reports on this case, and an eviction notice has been sent.”

Ferreira was ultimately arrested on Feb. 28 and is expected to appear in court next on April 19.

He was also recently released on personal recognizance after a March arraignment in West Roxbury Boston Municipal Court in a case that involves a single larceny charge over $1,200 by false pretense, officials said.

The Dorchester resident also faces additional charges including larceny, larceny by false pretense, forgery and uttering a false check in Dorchester and Central Boston Municipal Courts, officials said.