Sorry that it was a scam, but very glad you were alert enough to figure it out before Hils and roomie sent a check.

Because of FSGW, there are a number of people on Mudcat who live in the DC metro area, and word of mouth often finds the best rental situations. Many of those situations get passed on from friend to friend and never make it into advertisement. A thread on Mudcat asking DC area folks to pm you if they have any leads on below market priced rentals in the area might possibly turn up something.