A local woman and her children are searching for a place to stay after they reportedly discovered their landlord did not own the home where they were living, Local 4 reported.

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Rental Scam Leaves Family Homeless

Wendy Townsend told Local 4 that everything seemed legit when she was filling out an application to rent a home on Detroit's east side.

Townsend (pictured, left) noticed an advertisement in a newspaper of a house that was being shown. She said when she went to the home, a woman named Karen Watson was inside showing the place to several people, Local 4 reported.

The woman and Townsend agreed to a rental deal the next day.

"I came out and she was here, her and another gentleman. And, I gave her the money. It was the same person that I saw the day before so I didn't think anything of it," said Townsend.

When Townsend moved into the home and attempted to have her utilities turned on, she discovered that a real estate company owned the house and that it was never up for rent.

She also found a broken lockbox in the front yard of the home that may have been removed from the door by the apparent scam artists, Local 4 reported.

The real estate company who owns the home (pictured, right) has asked that Townsend and her children move out of the home by Friday, just five days after they moved in, according to the station's reports.

Townsend reportedly lost $750 to the culprits. She told Local 4 she had saved for months to earn that money to move, and had even withheld giving her children Christmas gifts this year.

"The present for my kids was a new house. That's what we all wanted, a nice place to call home. And, I blew it," said Townsend.

Townsend said the only trace left of the woman who scammed her was the name Karen Watson written on a receipt she was given.

"She knew my vulnerabilities. She knew how desperate I was to be moved. So, she just took advantage," said Townsend.

Townsend was also concerned she could become a victim of identity theft because she gave the woman all of her personal information, Local 4 reported.

Townsend has filed a police report with the 9th Precinct as she continues to search for a place for her family to stay.