10/23/2026
๐ RENTAL SCAM ALERT
The Howell County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a rental scam recently reported to our deputies.
Scammers are taking legitimate real estate listings from websites such as Zillow and other property listing platforms and reposting them on social media, including TikTok. These individuals are falsely advertising homes that are listed for sale as rental properties in an attempt to collect fraudulent deposits from unsuspecting individuals.
The fraudulent advertisements often include actual photographs taken from legitimate real estate listings. However, the contact phone numbers provided are not associated with the property's listing agent or authorized representative.
To ensure the property is actually available for rent or sale, it is recommended to look up the property on a real estate website such as Zillow or other popular real estate websites for verification. Scam accounts typically have a generic business name with a phone number but lack a physical office address and agent name.
Keep an eye out for AI-generated logos. Generally, a real estate company will list its office address and its broker or the agent operating the account and will have a professionally designed logo.
If you find these scam accounts or posts on social media, please report them to that app's support team using their reporting process. If you or someone you know has paid money to a scammer that has listed a "for sale" house as a rental, please contact local law enforcement to make a report.