Harlem rental scammer busted

Another Manhattan rental scammer was caught stealing deposits from would-be tenants last week, the Post reported. Paul Budden, 45, allegedly posted a Craigslist ad for a West Harlem apartment at Seventh Avenue and 145th Street to which three victims responded. Posing as an agent, Budden has been accused of having the victims sign contracts and put down deposits on the apartment before disappearing without giving them the keys. Budden was arrested and charged with grand larceny. In a similar scam, Vincent Amas was arrested last week after being accused of posing as an agent to scam renters out of thousands of dollars in deposits up and down the East Side. [Post, 3rd item]