Influencer Accused of Scamming Desperate Homeowners Out of $30,000

A well-known internet personality has been accused of scamming several desperate homeowners out of $30,000.

Roberto Boligan, a Florida-based influencer who runs the Instagram account @Bertocanfly, is said to have committed fraud while targeting Iowa residents at risk of losing their homes, according to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

Boligan, who owns Summit Software Systems, allegedly violated Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act by soliciting Iowa consumers at risk of foreclosure and offering adjustments to their mortgage loans.

The Attorney General’s Office said these solicitations had “deceptive, misleading and unfair features that had a capacity to deceive consumers.” Iowa residents were then tricked into believing that Summit Software Solutions was affiliated with the government and paid for services never completed, court records allege.

Summit Software Systems has publicly denied all allegations but agreed to cease any “foreclosure consultant” services in Iowa, The Des Moines Register reported.

Newsweek has reached out to Boligan as well as the Iowa Attorney General’s Office for comment.

Those who did pay to have Summit Software Systems perform any foreclosure consulting work should have their payments refunded the full amount, the order from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office says.

Boligan is said to be unable to immediately pay out refunds, so the Attorney’s General Office is permitting Boligan and his company six months to pay the full amount, at a rate of at least $5,000 per month.

It is unclear what the full amount that will be refunded to Iowans is, or the number of Iowans affected by the alleged scam.

Boligan previously said the amount to be refunded is $30,000 and that “very few” Iowa residents were affected, according to The Des Moines Register.

“They wanted to be done with it and I did, too,” Boligan told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. “For the most part, I respect the AG’s office in Iowa. So, we essentially agreed to disagree. That’s why if you really carefully read the consent order, we were not at all guilty of anything—nor was it said that we were.

“So, you know, at the end of the day, that’s really all it comes down to … We were able to help the majority of the people that signed up for the software. They were pleased, they were happy. We actually did help more than half of the individuals who signed up for the software—and that is definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, a fact.”

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Boligan first drew attention online as a successful entrepreneur.

He was raised by a single mom before finding success as a software developer and social media influencer with several tech companies.

If Summit Software Systems is found to have violated any parts of the attorney general’s agreement, the company will be forced to pay a $50,000 fine.

If you are an Iowa resident who might have been affected, you can reach the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division at 888-777-4590.