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Woman who lost almost $100,000 in home-buying scam gets money back


Marthia Irby, who fell victim to a home-buying scam, was finally able to get her money back. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
Marthia Irby, who fell victim to a home-buying scam, was finally able to get her money back. (Photo credit: WLOS staff)
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A Rutherford County woman who fell victim to a home-buying scam was finally able to get her money back.

It was the perfect home, complete with a white picket fence.

“We had been trying to move here for years," Marthia Irby said of Rutherford County.

They saved their money and made an offer on a house in Rutherford County.

It was the American dream, or so she thought.

“It's been a nightmare since we've been here," Irby said.

She said the move has been nothing but headaches, despite the serene setting.

“It's just been so stressful since we got here," Irby said.

When closing on the home, Irby was tricked by scammers pretending to be her real estate lawyer. She lost $95,000.

“It was horrible, a horrible feeling," she said.

And it just kept getting worse.

When Irby realized what happened, she called the banks involved, her bank -- Bank of America -- and the bank the money was transferred to, Suntrust.

"Most of the information I was getting is that the funds would not be returned," Irby said. "I just immediately cried.”

So she turned to News 13, which did a story about what happened. Three days later, she got a call from her bank.

“She said someone from Suntrust in Atlanta had seen the story and they started investigating," Irby said.

Three days after that ...

“We got the money back!” Irby said. “She said they looked, the funds were in the account, they would be able to retrieve them and I would be getting a check back.”

A check for $94,100. Irby said it cost about $900 in fees.

“We've been praying and praying, just asking God to please help us, and we got it back," Irby said.

And even with the check in her hands, Irby is in disbelief.

"I even kept looking at the check, like. is this a real check? You know,” she said.

Irby's American dream came true. Now, she wants to help make sure others don't fall prey to this scammer.

“Hopefully, we can find out who it was and they can't do it to somebody else," she said.

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