Updated

An Ocala man who's been paying $800 a month in rent just learned he's actually been paying a phony landlord. Authorities said Carl Kopsho was at a gas station in January, telling his friends he was looking for a place to live when a stranger approached and offered to help.

The man, who identified himself as Tyrone Grain, showed Kopsho the house, and the two signed a lease.

The sheriff's office reports the real homeowner called authorities Wednesday to say he suspected someone was living at his house, which was supposed to be vacant. When investigators confronted Kopsho at the home, he told them about Grain, who has not been located.

Kopsho said he hopes to continue renting the home from the real owner