A mum turned up at her "dream home" to find someone else living there after a fake landlord scam.
Kelly Grice, 41, hoped her new accommodation would signal a new chapter in her life and fresh start.
But after arriving at the property in Darlaston, West Midlands, she was told told the home had never been available for rent.
She hoped there was a misunderstanding but soon discovered the house was fully furnished and already occupied.
Kelly was left distraught by what had happened, reports Birmingham Live.
She said: "My heart literally sank."
The mum-of-two was approached on Gumtree after posting she was looking for somewhere to rent.
On the face of it, everything appeared to be legitimate and she was sent a tenancy agreement and other documentation.
She had even seen pictures of the home and messages were exchanged on Whatsapp.
All seemed above board and there was nothing to suggest anything untoward going on.
Kelly said: "They sent an invoice and tenancy agreement. It was all made to look authentic."
The mum, however, became suspicious when the supposed landlord started asking for cash up front.
She said: "They asked for £700 and then another £700 - two months of rent in advance.
"They then asked for another £700 on top of that."
Kelly, who works as a carer, still believed she was speaking to a legitimate landlord at this point and handed over £2,100.
But alarm bells were starting to ring and the more she thought about it the more she began to question whether or not this was real.
"I put a post on Facebook about it and everyone was saying 'this sounds dodgy'. Then there were red flags", she said.
Kelly needed to know for sure whether she was being scammed and paid a visit to the property she believed she had agreed to rent to do some private investigating.
She saw cars on the drive and her worst fears were confirmed when she knocked on the door to find the bemused homeowner.
Kelly said: "I asked 'is this property to rent?'. He said 'no it never has been'. He said 'I think you've been scammed'."
The homeowner said the pictures of his property had been taken off an estate agent's website.
She immediately contacted the police and passed over the details of her scammer with Action Fraud launching an investigation.
Her bank was able to recover the payments to get her money back, but the mum now wants to warn others of the potential dangers.
Looking back, she accepts she might have been too trusting, but argues the scam was sophisticated with documentation which made it appear authentic.
Kelly added: "It's taught me not to go back on Gumtree when looking for a property, or to trust people.
"I am very trusting. Next time I will be going through estate agents."
