Whitley Sheriff warns of scam involving property rentals

 Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell is warning of a scam involving individuals making property available for rent that they don’t own.

According to Harrell, a local resident contacted the sheriff’s department Tuesday after the individual had attempted to rent a house in Williamsburg.

The person offering to rent the home claimed to be out of town on a missionary trip and requested a deposit and first month’s rent be paid before the keys and documents would be sent via a courier service.

“It appears this person has never lived in the area,” Harrell said of the person offering the home for rent.

The local resident never sent any money and instead called the sheriff’s department.

Harrell stated that if a would-be renter finds a property listing through a third-party website, the renter should make contact through email or by phone and verify the individual owns the property before making a payment.

Harrell suggested meeting the owner in a public place such as the courthouse.

“Meeting in safe zone is important when first making in-person contact with someone off the Internet,” Harrell stated.

Finally, Harrell wants to remind the public to follow the old adage, if a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is.