MANHATTAN — A phony rental agent on Craigslist convinced 10 women to fork over nearly $22,000 in down payments for East Village apartments he had no authority to rent out, police said.
The suspect, who used the aliases David Horowitz and Michael Bryant, posted listings for 321 East 6th St. and 434 East 9th St. on Craigslist and then gave tours of the apartments, an NYPD spokesman said.
Most of the women were in their 20s, the spokesman said.
A total of nine women responded to the East 6th Street listing between Jan. 16 and Feb. 1 and gave him down payments of $2,200 each, police said.
One woman gave him a down payment of $2,100 on the East 9th Street apartment on Jan. 30, the NYPD said.
It was not immediately clear how the suspect accessed the apartments, but a police spokesman said there were no signs of forced entry.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).