Nationwide — Bennecia Smith, an African American mother from Clayton County, Georgia, lost her savings and her family’s stability after becoming a victim of a rental scam that left them homeless, broke, and struggling to start over.
Two years earlier, her mother’s illness had forced Smith, her two children, and five other relatives into a cycle of motel living. Hoping for a permanent home, she relied on an acquaintance who introduced her to a woman offering a rental house at a price the family could afford.
“She even had paperwork and everything. I had a whole lease. It felt like it was legit,” Smith told WBS-TV. “I was very excited because it was my first house with my two kids.”
Smith handed over $1,200 in cash and agreed to a payment plan. With the signed lease in hand, she believed her family finally had a stable home. They moved in and began to settle.
Just nine days later, police arrived at their door. Officers told Smith she was trespassing and showed her that the lease she held was fake. Shocked, she tried to explain, but the family was forced out immediately. Some of the children’s belongings were left behind in the home they thought was theirs.
Consumer experts explained that scams like this are common. Fraudsters often target vacant properties, pose as landlords, advertise them as rentals, and provide fake paperwork to deceive families. Once the money is transferred, it is nearly impossible to recover.
Police later confirmed that the woman who scammed Smith had allegedly carried out similar schemes in other jurisdictions. With few options left, Smith and her family returned to sleeping in cars or gathering enough money for motel rooms. She launched a GoFundMe campaign, which raised nearly $7,000 at the time.
For Smith, the loss went beyond money. She said, “She is going to reap what she sow. She took from me. And also, she didn’t just take from me, but she took from my kids.”