PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — A Bay area woman forced out of a home she had just leased because of a rental scam says she finally has a place to live — for real this time.
What You Need To Know
- Bambi Jones paid money up front for a rental home, but later discovered the people who took her money didn't own the property
- She says the actual landlords let her stay there for a short while as she planned her next step
- On Friday, she and her two grandchildren moved into a new place thanks to donations from the community
Spectrum News first told you earlier this month about Bambi Jones and how she paid thousands of dollars up front to move into a home, only to find out days later the people she paid didn’t own or manage the house.
On Friday, though, thanks to help from the community, she and her two grandchildren moved into a new place. Jones said she feared she wouldn't be able to find a place for her family to stay — but it happened just a few days after the scam became public.
"I'm excited, and guess what? I'm legal," she said.
On Aug. 3, she explained the details of her new home, saying “$1,055 per month — first, last and security deposit. I gave him first and last (rent) and I have an arrangement to give him the security deposit on the 15th.”
Despite the bogus lease at her previous rental, Jones said the real landlords let her stay in the home for a short while. But with her savings depleted, she says she was worried, especially for her grandchildren.
“I had to keep it together, because I didn’t want my frustration or anxiety to carry over to them,” she said. “So I had to suck it up.”
Thanks to the generosity and support of viewers who learned about her story, Jones found a new home for her family. And thanks to a GoFundMe page set up in her name, she once again has money to rent it.
“At the last minute, it’s like it just flew off," she said. “The last numbers that Commissioner Flowers showed me was $7,995."
"That put me right back," she added. "I’m telling you, but God.”
Jones said it's a situation that not only restored her faith in God, but also her faith in her fellow man.
“Your story opened the door for people to know about the situation, and I know what the world looks like," she said. “But there are people that care.”
GoFundMe.com, or any other third-party online fundraiser, is not managed by Spectrum Bay News 9 or Spectrum News 13. For more information on how GoFundMe works and its rules, visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.