Jeff Bach from IL is a total scam artist who ripped my husband and I off for $1500 - a security deposit - to rent his home in Elmwood Park, IL. We signed a lease and he made all sorts of promises that the house would be cleaned up and repainted and ready to move in by December 15, 2009. Before December 15th, we called both of the numbers that he left for us to follow up with him to see if this move in date was still feasible. He called us back finally after a whole week passed by and said "absolutely we can move in that weekend - he was so sorry he didn't call us back but he fell ill - and he would call us back in a day or two to schedule a walk through and give us the key to the house."
Needless to say - he never called back. My husband drove past the house we were supposed to rent after the Christmas holiday - and sure enough there was a BANK OWNED sign posted on the inside of the house. When I ran the address initially on the internet no information popped up that said the house was in foreclosure, etc. Once we did not hear back from Jeff Bach after his last call to us I reran the address and sure enough it showed up showing that it was in foreclosure.
Maybe my husband and I were naive to Jeff Bach's charm and huge house, but what kind of individual can take this kind of money from others right around the holidays especially in this current economic climate when so many are suffering? Another thing that boggles my mind to what kind of scam artist this guy is - is that we had our 3 year old son with us and I am pregnant with our second child due in less than two months - it really does take a certain kind of unfeeling individual to take advantage of people in this manner.
I am also pretty sure that he may have done this to others as well. We became aware of the house and its availability online on craigs list - and the one thing Jeff Bach kept stressing is that he has been showing the house like crazy all week long. Was that a ploy to make us act quickly - perhaps - but he may have signed leases will all sorts of other individuals throughout the week and taken their money as well.
If anyone ever comes across a Jeff Bach who is trying to rent out a property - do yourself a favor and walk away - chances are high that he will just scam you out of your security deposit and take it and run.
