A San Francisco woman has been arrested and charged with bilking would-be apartment renters of thousands of dollars apiece by accepting their deposits and then spinning a tale that they couldn't move in for a while because her mother had cancer, police said Thursday.

Rachael Marie Smith, 29, recruited victims by posting ads on Craigslist, offering to rent her apartment on the 5600 block of California Street near 18th Avenue in the Inner Richmond District, said police Sgt. Troy Dangerfield.

Several victims separately signed leases with Smith, and each gave her a $5,600 check for the deposit, police said. Then, Smith allegedly told them they wouldn't be able to move in on their scheduled dates because her mother was sick and needed care, police said.

"They were told that they had to wait a little bit longer because her mother had cancer," Dangerfield said.

One woman signed her lease July 16, then said she couldn't get ahold of Smith. When she complained about the situation at work, a colleague told her Smith had taken her deposit on the same apartment and had given her the same story, police said.

The two contacted an attorney, who told them he was already handling cases from clients complaining about Smith, Dangerfield said. The lawyer then called police.

Smith was arrested July 22. San Francisco prosecutors charged her with numerous counts of grand theft and obtaining money under false pretenses, authorities said.

She is accused of stealing a total of $20,000 from at least four victims. Efforts to reach Smith on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Police are trying to determine if other people were defrauded. Anyone who believes he or she may be a victim is asked to call Inspector John Monroe at (415) 553-1936.