TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa Bay area realtor claims someone used her property photos and listing description to create a fake rental on Facebook and when she reported it, the social media platform initially refused to take it down.
Andrea Stoll said she was distraught when she learned about the post advertising her Tampa townhouse for rent at $1,180 per month, well below the property's actual rental value of about $1,600.
"I had a pit in my stomach," Stoll said. "Nothing sits well, it's a horrible situation."
Stoll said she discovered the scam after receiving a phone call from someone who saw the Facebook post, then looked up the home and noticed Stoll also had it listed on the market.
"I asked right away can you please send me the post, it's not real," Stoll said. "My next step was immediately to report it."
Facebook initially refused to remove the post. In a message Stoll provided, the platform stated it "reviewed" the post and "it doesn't go against any of our commerce policies. For this reason we didn’t remove the listing."
Stoll continued reporting the scam but kept receiving the same response.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Facebook has the ability to do better and they should do better," Stoll said. "I can't get a live person I can't explain the scam I can't say hey these are my photos they are re-listing this property and taking money from people."
That’s when Stoll contacted Susan Solves It.
Consumer Investigator Susan El Khoury reached out to Facebook and it’s parent company Meta. It took several attempts to get a spokesperson on the line but within 24 hours of El Khoury’s inquiry, Facebook said "the content violates our privacy violations community standards. So it was removed."
Facebook would not answer any questions, including about what happened or whether it would change the review process.
Eric Olsen, who investigates consumer complaints for Hillsborough County's Code Enforcement Department, said protecting yourself when looking for rental properties can start with a simple online search.
"Here in Florida you can go to the property appraiser's website search the owner look and verify that the owner is the same person for the rental, it’s also a good idea to check out whoever is listing it," Olsen said.
Red flags can include prices that are significantly lower than similar properties. Another thing to check is who posted the information. The post in question was created by someone who went by the name "Kellie Hardy." They had no profile picture and joined Facebook in 2025. Their other posts showed two additional rental properties, all priced below standard Tampa rates.
"From the investigations of a similar nature we've done you will find that they are out of the area, out of the country, they are online using fake identities so it's very difficult even for law enforcement to verify who these people are and bring them to justice," Olsen added.
Stoll said she wants people to learn from her experience.
"As realtors, our job is to protect the public," Stoll said.
When asked what she would tell Facebook, Stoll said, "I would tell them that they need to put measures in place that if a scam is reported that they are able to review it and take it down if it is a legitimate scam."
County officials say it's difficult to determine how widespread this problem is in the Tampa Bay area because many cases go unreported.
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Consumer Investigator Susan El Khoury is here to advocate for you. From crimes targeting consumers to tips and tricks to help you save money, Susan works to help solve the day-to-day issues. Reach out to Susan with any problems you need help solving.
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