A Renton woman faces multiple charges of Felony Theft after scamming more than 10 families out of nearly $50,000.

Cookie Saovongxay listed her former residence, a house on Cedar Avenue in Renton, as available “for rent” on the Craigslist and Zillow websites. She showed the house to potential renters, had them sign leases and collected payment amounts between $3,800 and $5,700 from each.

However, Saovongxay, a 20-year-old college student, does not own the house.

“These families have nowhere to go,” said Detective LeAnn Whitney in a press release. “They’ve given notice at their current place and gave their first/last/deposit money to Cookie Saovongxay. They don’t have money left to put a deposit down somewhere else.

“This woman’s scam has left these families homeless,” she said.

The thefts were first reported to Renton police on Feb. 15 Since then, an additional nine victims have come forward – and police believe there are more.

Despite an arrest for felony theft stemming from the scam, Saovongxay continued her scam, luring potential renters via web posts and cashing their deposit checks. She was arrested a second time and is scheduled for arraignment on March 16 for charges stemming from the first report.

Renton Police are asking anyone with information about the scam, especially those who have been victimized by Saovongxay’s greed, to call 425-235-2121 and make a report.

“The more cases that are reported, the more charges we can file against her,” said Detective Whitney.