Greg's Corner

TikTok Is the New Hunting Ground for Rental Scammers

By Greg Collier

For years, people looking for apartments and houses have been warned about rental scams on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and other online classifieds. Now, scammers appear to be following their potential victims to a newer platform: TikTok.

That should be a major warning for anyone searching for a place to live, particularly college students and first-time renters who may be more comfortable searching for housing through social media than through traditional real estate websites.

Two reports published this week illustrate just how quickly the rental scam game is evolving. In Wisconsin, a real estate agency discovered that scammers were copying legitimate property listings and reposting them on TikTok. At the same time, a study examining TikTok rental listings found that 68% contained at least one warning sign associated with potential scams.

The problem isn’t that TikTok itself is necessarily selling these properties. The problem is that scammers have discovered another enormous audience.

The Same Old Scam Gets a New Platform

The technology may change, but the basic rental scam hasn’t changed much.

A scammer finds a legitimate property online. They copy the photographs and description, make the rent look attractive, add a phone number, and repost the property somewhere else.

The person looking for a home may have no idea that the listing has been stolen.

That’s exactly what a Wisconsin real estate broker told WEAU was happening in the Chippewa Valley. Legitimate listings were being copied from real estate websites and turned into TikTok posts. In some cases, the same property appeared on multiple TikTok accounts with different rental prices.

One legitimate property reportedly appeared on TikTok for $900 with utilities included on one account and $950 on another.

The scammer’s objective wasn’t necessarily to collect an entire year’s rent from the victim.

Sometimes it was much simpler.

Prospective renters were told to pay a fee just to see the property.

That can be enough to make a scam profitable when hundreds or thousands of people see the advertisement.

A House for Rent That Isn’t for Rent

The problem becomes even more disturbing when the property being advertised isn’t actually available.

News4JAX found TikTok rental advertisements for Jacksonville properties that didn’t match the legitimate listings elsewhere.

One TikTok video advertised a property for $990 a month while Zillow listed the same property at $1,890.

In another case, a property advertised as a rental on TikTok was actually listed for sale on Zillow.

Yet the TikTok account was reportedly asking prospective renters for a $1,000 deposit.

That is the kind of discrepancy renters need to investigate before handing over a dime.

If a house suddenly appears online for hundreds of dollars less than comparable properties, there is usually a reason.

And when the explanation is that you have to send money immediately to secure it, the situation deserves even more scrutiny.

Scammers Know Who They’re Targeting

The timing of this warning is particularly important.

College students are arriving in communities across the country looking for apartments, roommates, and houses. Many are renting for the first time. Others may be moving to a new city and have little knowledge of the local rental market.

That creates an attractive target.

A cybersecurity investigator involved in the TikTok study specifically expressed concern about the platform’s younger demographic and its potential to reach first-time renters and college students.

Young renters aren’t necessarily more gullible than anyone else.

They may simply be unfamiliar with how quickly a legitimate-looking rental listing can be copied.

A scammer doesn’t need to convince someone that a completely imaginary house exists. They can take photographs of a real house, copy the description from a legitimate listing, and use the actual address.

Suddenly, the victim is looking at a property that really exists.

The Rental Scam Has Evolved Before

TikTok isn’t the first platform to become a favorite hunting ground for rental scammers.

The Wisconsin real estate broker described a progression from Craigslist to Facebook Marketplace and now TikTok.

That’s an important lesson.

Scammers aren’t loyal to a particular website.

They go where the victims are.

When people started searching for housing on Craigslist, scammers followed them there. When Facebook Marketplace became popular, scammers moved there. As social media habits change, scammers adapt again.

There is no reason to believe TikTok will be the last platform they exploit.

The next major rental scam could show up somewhere else entirely.

The Numbers Are Already Alarming

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams since 2020, with reported losses totaling about $65 million.

The typical reported loss is around $1,000.

That is bad enough, but the actual damage can be much greater.

A scammer who starts with a $60 showing fee can eventually ask for an application fee, a security deposit, and the first month’s rent.

A person who believes they have found their new home could potentially send thousands of dollars before discovering that they have been dealing with a criminal.

And there is another danger.

Once someone has submitted an application, they may have handed over a significant amount of personal information, including identification and financial documents.

The loss isn’t necessarily limited to the money sent to the scammer.

Look at the Property, Not Just the Video

One of the biggest mistakes a renter can make is assuming that a convincing video proves the person posting it controls the property.

It doesn’t.

Photographs can be stolen. Descriptions can be copied. Videos can be downloaded and reposted. Social media accounts can be created in minutes.

Even a video showing the inside of an actual house doesn’t prove the person posting it has anything to do with the property.

That’s why renters should independently search the address.

Look for the property on Zillow or other legitimate real estate sites. See whether it is listed for sale. Check whether another agent or property management company is advertising it.

If you find a real estate company associated with the property, don’t use the phone number supplied by the TikTok account.

Find the company’s official website yourself and call the number listed there.

That extra step could make the difference between finding a legitimate rental and losing thousands of dollars.

Don’t Pay to See a House You Haven’t Verified

One of the biggest red flags in these reports is the demand for money before a showing.

A supposed landlord or agent may claim there are dozens of other people interested in the property. You may be told that somebody else is ready to pay the deposit. You may be warned that the house will disappear if you don’t act immediately.

That’s pressure.

And pressure is one of the scammer’s favorite weapons.

The Better Business Bureau warns that scammers frequently create urgency to prevent potential victims from taking the time to investigate.

A legitimate rental opportunity shouldn’t require you to make a blind payment simply because a stranger on social media says you have to act immediately.

Be especially cautious about requests for cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App.

Those payment methods can make recovering your money extremely difficult.

The Rent May Be the Biggest Clue

There is another simple test that can help.

Know what housing actually costs in the area where you are looking.

If comparable two-bedroom apartments are renting for $1,800 and someone suddenly offers one for $950, don’t assume you’ve found the deal of the century.

Assume you have found something that needs to be investigated.

That doesn’t automatically mean the listing is fraudulent. There can be legitimate reasons for a property to rent below market value.

But the bigger the discrepancy, the more questions you should ask before doing anything else.

A bargain is not a bargain if it doesn’t exist.

This Isn’t Just a TikTok Problem

It would be easy to read these stories and conclude that people simply shouldn’t look for housing on TikTok.

That’s not really the lesson.

The bigger lesson is that no online platform should be treated as proof that a rental listing is legitimate.

Craigslist can be exploited.

Facebook Marketplace can be exploited.

TikTok can be exploited.

Even legitimate real estate websites can be used as the source material for scams because criminals can copy their listings and take them somewhere else.

The platform is only where you found the advertisement.

It doesn’t necessarily tell you who is behind it.

Verify Before You Pay

Before sending a rental application fee, deposit, or rent, independently verify the property and the person offering it.

Search the address.

Compare the price with other listings.

Check whether the property is for sale somewhere else.

Verify the real estate agent or property management company through an independently located official website.

See the property in person whenever possible.

If you can’t visit it, ask for a live video tour rather than relying on a prerecorded video.

And most importantly, don’t let someone on social media rush you into sending money.

The rental market is already difficult enough. Housing costs have made finding an affordable place to live a serious challenge for millions of Americans.

Scammers understand that desperation.

They know that when someone sees an affordable house or apartment, they may be willing to overlook a few warning signs because they’re afraid another renter will get there first.

That’s exactly what the scammer wants.

The next time a cheap rental appears on your TikTok feed, don’t ask yourself how quickly you can send the deposit.

Ask a much more important question:

Who actually owns that property, and who am I really sending my money to?