CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida woman accused of renting out a house she didn’t own is behind bars.

Ewelina Drozd is facing a single charge of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling.

Karey Whitfield told NewsNation affiliate WFLA she unknowingly fell victim to the woman’s scheme. For weeks, she had been looking for a new place to rent with her husband and their teenage daughter. Then, a friend recommended Drozd.

Whitfield contacted Drozd, who had ads on social media showing off one of the houses available for rent.

The two met at a home on Magnolia Drive in Clearwater, Florida. Whitfield liked the house, but Drozd told her she had another home with the same rental price. It was a bit older, but it was bigger and had a pool.

Whitfield was sold.

“Signed the lease agreement, she wrote me out a receipt for my deposit and my first month’s rent,” said Whitfield. “And we said our goodbyes. She handed me keys and we said our goodbyes. “

Planning to surprise her family, Whitfield said she took them to their new home and was surprised herself.

“There’s a gentleman standing outside with a big truck and I’m like, ‘Hey, how are you? How can I help you?'” said Whitfield. “He’s like, ‘I’m here to meet the realtor and start renovations.’ I said, ‘Come again? Excuse me? I just rented the place this afternoon.'”

She called Clearwater police. But she also remembered that she had taken a precaution when signing the paperwork, and it provided a key piece of evidence for investigators.

“I took a picture of her ID just in case, that’s my mindset,” said Whitfield, who is also a notary. “We have to get all of the information.”

Police later arrested Drozd, whose bond was set at $5,000. Detectives said they are looking into the possibility that there may be additional victims.

Drozd is currently awaiting trial, according to inmate records from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Rob Shaw, the public information officer with the Clearwater Police Department, warned that when you’re looking for a new place to rent, it may not be the best practice to seek out listings on social media.

“Go through a regular realty group, a professional realtor that you know, or that you know does business related to that,” he said. “Don’t find somebody online. Don’t find somebody on a Facebook group.”

Whitfield paid $1,800 for the first month’s rent and a security deposit. Investigators returned $1,600, saying Drozd spent $200 at Home Depot on a mini-refrigerator.

Now it’s back to square one for Whitfield, who is currently looking for a new place to live.

“It’s devastating,” she said. “Because we’re good, honest people, we just work hard and the way that people’s greed has escalated … people have to scam you.”