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Written by: E. George
Published May 15, 2024 @ 7:30 PM ET
BALDWIN COUNTY, Ga. – On April 30, 2024, a man reported that someone was attempting to sell his rental home in Milledgeville on Facebook Marketplace. A Milledgeville Police officer spoke with the victim, who explained that his neighbor informed him that a stranger arrived at the property wanting to view the house.
It was determined that a suspect named “Washington Kineta” on Facebook pretended to own the home and posted Zillow photographs on Facebook Marketplace, listing it for sale. Although “Kineta” possessed no access to the house, the suspect charged potential “buyers” $60 to view it.
The officer noted that “Washington Kineta’s” account appeared fake and contained fake Facebook friends. This case is pending.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
At approximately 2105 hours on 04/30/2024, contact was made with the victim/complainant, [REDACTED], who stated someone was attempting to sell his rental house, [REDACTED] Matheson Road, on Facebook marketplace. [REDACTED] stated his neighbor on Matheson Road always keeps a check on the house and noticed a female, possibly identified as [REDACTED], attempting to look at the house being that it was listed for sale.
The neighbor gave the female [REDACTED] phone number to contact him regarding the matter. It was determined, someone using the name Washington Kineta on Facebook, used photographs of [REDACTED] house from Zillow and posted them onto Facebook marketplace pretending it was his residence and posting it for sale.
The Kineta subject also apparently is attempting to charge people sixty dollars to view the house, even though they have no access to the residence.
Looking at the Facebook profile it appears to be a fake account with fake friends on Facebook indicating it is a scam. I explained to [REDACTED] the process of requesting to have additional patrol at his residence to ensure there is no unwanted people attempting to look at the residence. Nothing further at this time.