Lauren Wisniewski was scrambling to help her friend find a place to live in March when she came across a listing on the online classified site Craigslist.com that seemed like the perfect fit.
The Craigslist poster claimed to be a real estate agent who connects prospective renters with tenants who are looking to sublet their apartments. He said he had a one-bedroom apartment in the Domain in North Austin that was available for an affordable price.
Wisniewski’s friend has a disability, lives on a fixed income and receives federal housing assistance. She was not able to renew her current lease, and there was a two-month gap before she could get into a new permanent housing situation.
Wisniewski, who also has a disability, said she emailed back and forth with the poster and spoke to him over the phone. He sent her photos of a California driver’s license, a state of California real estate broker’s license and a certified property manager title all under the same name, and she looked up the license numbers online.
More:Travis County headed for record number of property value protests this year
Wisniewski and her friend crowdfunded $1,900 for two months of rent and sent the money. But when they showed up at the apartment complex on move-in day, the staff there had no idea who they were, and there was no apartment waiting. The money, however, was already gone.
“My friend is homeless now. Thankfully right now she’s staying in a guest room at a friend’s house,”…
