LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - If you are looking to rent a home, beware. The Attorney General's Office is getting reports of scammers who are advertising homes that are not for rent.

This scam is nothing new. It has been going on in Arkansas for years, but people are still falling victim to it. Scammers are stealing pictures from legitimate real estate ads and making it look like homes are for rent when they are not. They are getting people when they are most vulnerable.

WATCH STORY: http://on.kthv.com/1hu3Fja

"It was heartbreaking to think that she was no't going to have the things that she needed to succeed because I fell for this," said Mary Lorance.

Like any mother, Mary Lorance is looking for what is best for her daughter. She wants her to go to a good school and live in a nice neighborhood. Mary had her sights set on renting a home in Cabot.

Fort Smith, Harrison, Jonesboro, Little Rock, and Russellville Agencies Receive Grants

LITTLE ROCK – As part of its continuing effort to assist families and individuals with their housing needs and to prevent future foreclosures, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $86,774  in housing counseling grants to Arkansas housing counseling agencies in Fort Smith, Harrison, Jonesboro, Little Rock and Russelville..  Nationally, more than $40 million was awarded to 334 national, regional and local organizations. 

As a result of these grants and the additional funding they help leverage, more than 1.6 million households nationwide will have a greater opportunity to find housing, make more informed housing choices or keep their current homes. 

The Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA) recently introduced a program that offers a Federal Tax Credit for First-Time-Homebuyers.  It is called the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) Program.  The MCC Program is offered by the Internal Revenue Service to encourage borrowers to buy their first home. 

For borrowers that qualify, if offers them up to a $2,000 Federal tax credit for each year that the house they are buying is used as their principal residence.  To qualify borrowers must be first-time-homebuyers, except in targeted counties; must meet household income limits, which vary by county; and not exceed a purchase price of $225,000.  The MCC is not part of the home financing, but rather an incentive the IRS offers to get first-time-homebuyers to buy a home.