A couple trying to rent a SouthPark home said someone who didn't own it posed as the owner online.

John and Yvonne Gloston saw a four-bedroom, three-bath house for rent near SouthPark on Craigslist.

But unknown to them, the person placing the ad was pretending to be the owner.

“He said that he owned the property but we saw another owner on the public records,” John Gloston said.

That's when they backed away.

Action 9 looked at those same public records and found the house was foreclosed property being handled by Bank of America.

Realtor Rick Barth said the person pretending to be the owner changed the locks twice and then rented the house to one couple before Barth kicked them out.

That's when he had Seth Manson arrested for breaking and entering, a misdemeanor.

Manson, who lives in the neighborhood, filed a lien claiming the house was abandoned.

“He was just trying to take over the property,” Barth said. “And like I said, it was a bogus lien.”

Action 9 went to talk to Manson, who told us what motivated him to take this stand.

“I don't like the way banks are throwing people out of their homes illegally,” Manson said.

Action 9’s Don Griffin said the lesson for anyone renting a house is to know who you're dealing with before handing over your money.

The couple that paid Manson $2,500 to rent the house got their money back after stopping payment on their check.