A 38-year-old man from Palm Beach, Florida, has been arrested for allegedly running a Craigslist scam that lured unsuspecting renters with false promises of affordable housing. Two victims paid thousands of dollars to gain access to a unit they believed they had rented, only to discover it was already occupied and the listing was a fabrication.
An accused Craigslist con artist lured renters to a Palm Beach apartment with a deal too good to resist, little did the victims know they'd receive keys to a scam. On February 4, the 'Chilean Apartment' owner in Palm Beach received a call from one of her tenants that they met the new tenants at apartment four. The only issue was, the owner hadn't leased that unit to anyone, according to the criminal probable cause affidavit.
The complex owner had been showing the unit sporadically and had left a key inside and the door unlocked, which she told police was for ease of access for handymen to come in and out. The unit was listed for $5,200 on Zillow, but little did the owner know, they had competition. An identical listing to hers was available on Craigslist for '$1,175 a month for month-to-month, or $950 a month for a five-to-ten-month period,' per Palm Beach Police (PBPD).The Craigslist lister, later identified as 38-year-old Vickenson Ambroise, wasn't procuring money for it online, they were prepared to let the new tenant in and hand them the keys, according to the affidavit. Police say they responded to the landlord's call and met two scammed tenants. One of them explained she found the listing on Craigslist posted by 'Chris' who described himself as a 'family friend' of the building owner. She told police that she toured the apartment on February 2 with her daughter and 'Chris', who had a key. She accepted then closed on the unit and paid 'Chris,' also known as Ambroise, $1,400 on Zelle. She was also told that she would soon be getting a roommate.She told officers she met with Ambroise at the unit on February 3 while the first tenant was moving in, agreed to move in understanding that the apartment was a steal for the price, and settled in her rented bedroom. After PBPD made the women aware of the scam, they assembled a photo lineup in which both victims positively identified 'Chris' as Vickenson Ambroise. Police booked Ambroise on one count of fraudulent sale or lease of property, two counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, two counts of grand theft, two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, and one count of fraudulent use of personal identification
Craigslist Scam Palm Beach Florida Rental Scam Burglary Fraudulent Sale Grand Theft
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