A Juneau woman was arrested after police say she posted a fraudulent ad and accepted a security deposit for an apartment she had no authorization to rent out.
On Friday, Rebecca Jo Burke, 39, was arrested on charges of second-degree forgery and second-degree theft — both class C felonies — and taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center, according to the Juneau Police Department.
In early October, JPD began investigating a complaint into a fraudulent online advertisement for a housing rental in the 3400 block of Glacier Highway, according to police. The complainant told police she had spoken with the woman suspected of fraud and looked at photos of the residence but had never seen the property in person before signing a lease agreement and paying $850 for a security deposit to the suspect.
The complainant later learned that the photos and address of the property provided were fraudulent and the address listed on the lease agreement did not match the photos of the actual property, according to police.
Burke is also a suspect in several ongoing bad check and forgery investigations, according to police, and in a news release, JPD stated members of the community should use caution if anyone has had recent interactions with Burke or has accepted any forms of payment from her.
JPD encouraged anyone who feels they have been a victim of a crime to contact the Juneau Police Department on our business line at (907) 586-0600 or file an online police report.
• Contact reporter Jonson Kuhn at jonson.kuhn@juneauempire.com.
