A Craigslist scammer got the $3K. The real victim is the scammee, but she’s taking it out on the homeowner, who should turn around and sue for damages.
I'm still on the scammee's side here. Adverse possession and squatters rights come from Great Britain's Common Law, which our system is based on. The premise is, if you own land or a dwelling, you should be aware enough of what is going on with your property that a squatter cannot accumulate several years of using the property unopposed, which would grant the squatter outright ownership. America took this law and dialed both concepts down for rental law: The required time period is usually 30 days, and there is no transfer of ownership, but there is a legal requirement of eviction.
If there really was a Craig’s List scammer involved.I am beginning to wonder....