From the NY Post:What seemed like a dream deal of spending the summer living in one of New York's hottest neighborhoods has become a nightmare for more than a dozen out-of-towners.
Many of the victims -- college students and young professionals -- told The Post they were duped out of thousands of dollars by two Brooklyn men posing as leaseholders of a massive loft within a new luxury apartment complex at 175 Powers St. in Williamsburg.
The duo, Desmond Eaddy and Ronnie Barron, allegedly used Craigslist and other ads to reel in the unsuspecting victims, including eight from Ireland, and collect at least $14,000.
Left with empty pockets, many of the victims say they've spent the past month working odd jobs and scrambling just to raise enough cash for food and shelter.
The ads claimed rooms were available for $1,100 monthly "in a brand new, huge, two-floor loft."
But Eaddy and Barron, both 29, never had the legal authority to sublet the space for residential use -- only a handshake agreement with building's owners to use it for film and TV production.
The duo hired contractors to carve up the commercial space and convert it to an eight-bedroom "illegal hostel," according the building's existing tenants.
But construction was halted long before the apartment was complete, although the out-of-towners had paid to move in by mid-June.
5 comments:
Hey this is the big apple!
Newbies & travelers beware!
Next time if a deal sounds too good to be true it's probably a con!
Why do these people insist on looking for accomodations in communal(read hippie-like) environments?
Tip: visit for a week or two. Stay in a real hotel. Rooming with up to ten complete strangers in a single space is not only stupid, it's dangerous. You haven't any knowledge of who the other people are. Use whatever passes for a brain and think about what you're planning.
In this day and age, where all sorts of information is public, it is a shame not to take the time and do your research! They should've used their iphones and blackberies to go to nyc.gov and check who the owner is.
There are plenty of legal hostels in the city that they could choose from.
They can also go to the Hamptons - every Summer the Irish kids come over and work the restaurants and nightclubs, etc. in Montauk and the Hamptons. A group of them will rent an entire house - they are great workers on the whole - UNFORTUNATELY for them it's a little late - the best spots should have been filled by now - but heh - you never know . . .
Good luck to them.
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