Pine Bluff, Arkansas – The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to carefully check online rental listings after investigators confirmed that a Pine Bluff property was advertised for lease on TikTok without the property owner’s knowledge or permission.
The advertisement involved a residence at 1302 E. 41st Avenue in Pine Bluff. According to authorities, the home itself is real, but the owner told investigators that neither the TikTok advertisement nor the account behind it had been authorized.
Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. urged potential renters to confirm who they are communicating with before providing money or personal information.
“A property may be real, but that doesn’t mean the person advertising it is legitimate,” said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Lafayette Woods, Jr. “Before you hand over your hard-earned money, please verify who you’re dealing with. When something doesn’t add up, trust your instincts and ask questions.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a TikTok account using the name @homefindconsult4 and identifying itself as HomeFinderConsultant advertised the Pine Bluff residence. The post described the property as having three bedrooms and two bathrooms and listed the monthly rent as $900.
People interested in the supposed rental were directed to call or text (254) 429-8495 for additional information.
Property owner says rental advertisement was not authorized
Investigators contacted 1911 Construction Company, Incorporated, which was identified as the property owner. The company confirmed that it had no connection to the advertisement or the company associated with the @homefindconsult4 TikTok account.
The owner also told authorities that nobody had been given permission to advertise the property for rent.
Anyone who is legitimately interested in information about the residence is being directed to contact 1911 Construction Company, Incorporated at (870) 536-0891.
Woods said prospective renters should make sure that someone offering a home for rent actually has permission to do so before sending payments.
“A good deal can quickly become a bad decision if you don’t verify who’s on the other side of the screen,” said Woods. “Before you send money, make sure the person advertising the property actually has the authority to rent it.”
Investigators are now working to determine who created and published the unauthorized advertisement. Authorities are also trying to establish whether anyone responded to the listing and suffered a financial loss.
The Sheriff’s Office has not announced that any victims lost money. That question remains part of the ongoing investigation.
“Scammers want your money before they want your questions,” said Woods. “So, we’re asking our citizens to reverse that order by asking questions, verifying the property and then the person behind it. Once that’s complete and only then do you consider investing in the property.”
Several possible Arkansas charges being examined
Based on the information gathered so far, investigators said several parts of Arkansas criminal law could become relevant depending on what additional evidence shows.
One possibility is Theft of Property by Deception under Arkansas Code Annotated § 5-36-103. The law can apply when someone knowingly obtains another person’s property or money by creating a false impression or using other deceptive methods.
If investigators find that the person or people responsible for the advertisement collected rent, security deposits, application fees or other payments through the listing, authorities could consider Theft of Property by Deception. The seriousness of such a charge would depend on the value of the property or money obtained, with possible offenses ranging from misdemeanors to felonies.
Authorities are also considering Arkansas’ Criminal Attempt law under § 5-3-201. This could become important even if nobody actually sent money in response to the advertisement.
Under the law described by the Sheriff’s Office, intentionally taking a substantial step toward committing a crime can itself result in criminal liability. Investigators could therefore examine whether creating and publishing an unauthorized rental advertisement was intended as a step toward obtaining money through deception.
Another potential offense is Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree under § 5-37-208.
Investigators could consider that charge if evidence shows someone falsely presented themselves as the property owner or as a person authorized to lease or manage the residence in an effort to defraud or harm someone.
The Sheriff’s Office said Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree is a Class A misdemeanor that can carry up to one year in county jail, a fine of as much as $2,500, or both.
Additional charges could also be considered as investigators collect more evidence and determine what happened.
For residents searching for rental properties online, the Sheriff’s Office is emphasizing verification before payment. That includes checking who actually owns a property, confirming that the person advertising it has authority to offer it for rent and questioning requests for money when details appear suspicious.
The investigation into the Pine Bluff TikTok listing remains active. No individual or group responsible for the advertisement has been publicly identified based on the information released. Authorities also emphasized that anyone ultimately identified as a suspect is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
