YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The latest in what the Ohio Department of Commerce is calling a “concerning trend” in real estate scams almost found new victims in Youngstown.

It started with one phone call, and then another: real estate agents from multiple companies wanted to verify that Amy Watson-Carelly and her husband, James Carelly, were actually selling their property on Bear’s Den Road. But Amy told 21 News in an interview Friday that the couple, who currently lives in Florida, plans to build a home on the vacant lot and had no intention to sell.

Not long after, the Carellys got a text from the man who upkeeps the lot, showing a screenshot of an online listing of the property. This time, the website said a sale was pending, listed by Brighton Realty & Management.

“I was very upset, of cou

See Full Page