After the five reviews, Aaron asked for my phone number
  and said he’d call me the next day with a meeting place. 
  It has now been three days and I have yet to hear from 
  him. He’s also stopped responding to my emails, including 
  one in which I asked him, “Is this really a scam?” Which 
  means, obviously, I’ve been duped.

I think you're right, the email looks like it was sent after the intended meeting time.

I still think that a waiting time and a 'missed' appointment could've been a part of the scam. After all, when you've been on hold with customer service for 10 minutes, do you really want to hang up at that point?

10 minutes? What planet do you live in and how much is the rent for a one bedroom? :) If I wait 10 minutes I consider myself lucky, usually more like 30.