Duo Accused Of NYC Summer Rental, Loft Living Ripoff Victimizing College Students, Others; Foreign Tourist Trio Left Stranded In U.S. Until Sept.

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the New York Post reports:

• 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 each duped out of thousands of dollars by two Brooklyn men posing as lease holders of a massive loft within a new luxury apartment complex at 175 Powers St. in Williamsburg.

• The alleged scammers, Desmond Eaddy and Ronnie Barron, used Craigslist and other ads to reel in the unsuspecting victims, including eight from Ireland, and collected at least $14,000.

• Left with empty pockets, many say they've spent the past month working odd jobs and scrambling just to raise enough cash for food and shelter. "This has been pretty traumatizing," said Neil Sturdy, 19, who traveled to the city with two other friends from Ireland. "We came to New York and were taken advantage of. Now we sometimes don't even have enough money to feed ourselves." The trio says they were taken for a total of $3,375 and that their pre-paid, nonrefundable return flight home isn't until September.

For more, see Williamsburg scam turns loft-y dream to nightmare.