It's always interesting to see scammers at work. The nature of scammers, atleast the ones that get caught, put in 95% effort, and it's that last 5% that gets them caught.
In this case, imagine if instead of trash furniture and minimal decor in the "switch" property of "bait and switch" they put in half decent stuff. Renters would probably all accept the story of a plumber and move on. Instead, they fill the property with crappy furniture and leave unhappy customers. They could have gotten away with it.
They did get away with it, over and over again. And when the scam was discovered, they went dark. They could have even switched to alternate accounts, alternate platforms, or even a different scam that utilizes those empty properties.
Not getting away with something in perpetuity is not the same as not getting away with it. Had they been more timid with their margins, maybe they would have been busted before making the money they did make.
In this case, imagine if instead of trash furniture and minimal decor in the "switch" property of "bait and switch" they put in half decent stuff. Renters would probably all accept the story of a plumber and move on. Instead, they fill the property with crappy furniture and leave unhappy customers. They could have gotten away with it.