JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman is facing multiple criminal charges after investigators say she spent years posing as a landlord and collecting money from unsuspecting renters for homes she had no authority to lease.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested Saderria Johnson on multiple warrants tied to what police describe as a long-running rental scam targeting people searching for affordable housing on Facebook Marketplace.
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The arrest comes months after the News4JAX I-TEAM investigated similar scams that left local families without a home and out thousands of dollars.
According to police, Johnson advertised legitimate homes for rent online at prices well below market value. The homes were real, but investigators say she did not own or manage the properties. Instead, she allegedly copied photos and listing information from legitimate rental advertisements and presented herself as the landlord.
In several cases, victims paid deposits and rent directly to Johnson. Police say some families were even able to move into the homes before discovering they had been scammed.
JWB Real Estate Leasing Manager AJ Fuller said the unusually low rental prices are often the first warning sign.
“If we’re trying to rent the home for, let’s say, $1,500 a month, you might see it listed for $700 or $800, just ridiculously low,” Fuller said.
Police reports identify four JWB-owned homes that Johnson allegedly rented fraudulently.
Fuller said Johnson gained access to at least some properties by scheduling legitimate self-guided tours through JWB’s digital lockbox system while posing as a prospective tenant.
“If everything checks out, it looks like you are the person that’s doing it, we will give you access to the home,” Fuller explained. “In this particular instance, the young lady that was arrested this week was using her own information up front, acting like the prospect.”
Once inside, investigators say Johnson showed the homes to victims, accepted payments and falsely claimed she could lease the properties.
One victim paid Johnson more than $1,000 before moving into one of the homes with a partner and child. The family later learned they had been defrauded.
“It’s terrible because a lot of these folks usually... it’s a large amount of money,” Fuller said. “It’s very expensive to move into a home anywhere. It just puts everybody in a really hard spot.”
Rental scams have become increasingly common as rising housing costs push more people to search for affordable options online. Scammers frequently target platforms such as Facebook Marketplace by advertising homes at prices significantly below market value to attract renters quickly.
JWB will sometimes advertise properties on Facebook but never through a personal profile.
Fuller encourages prospective renters to verify every step of the rental process before sending money.
“I would just say validate and keep validating,” he said. “Even if you think you’re validating too much, just keep validating to protect your money.”
How to spot a rental scam
Rental experts recommend watching for these common warning signs:
- The rent is significantly lower than comparable homes in the area.
- The person advertising the home pressures you to act quickly or pay immediately.
- The “landlord” requests payment through gift cards, Zelle, wire transfers or other difficult-to-trace payment methods.
- The listing photos appear on multiple websites with different contact information.
- The person collecting payment cannot verify ownership or management of the property.
Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a rental scam should report it to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the platform where the listing appeared.