Police look for renter who stayed at 9 Hilton Head rentals over 2 months without paying
Beaufort County sheriff’s investigators are looking for a renter who they believe stayed at nine vacation listings on Hilton Head Island over two months without paying, costing rental owners about $20,000 in income.
The man is a person of interest and has not been identified yet nor warrants obtained, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage.
He said the case investigator believes all the fraudulent rentals are related.
The renter used burner phones, fake email addresses, and, importantly, fake credit cards to book listings on the island. He stayed for four or five days at a rental and left before the homeowners caught on, Bromage said.
He stayed at rentals across the island near the beach, including at Sandcastles by the Sea near Folly Field Beach, Sea Pines Resort, Palmetto Dunes and South Forest Beach.
The rentals were between Nov. 2, 2021 and Jan. 3, 2022, said Bromage.
At one unit, the renter is accused of taking speakers, a television, and other electronics on his way out.
The Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information or other alleged victims to contact the investigator on the case, Sgt. Adam Paul, at 843-255-3317.
