Playing Dirty With Deeds: Listing Scammers Swarm Social Media

Agents from coast to coast are sending out warnings about a scheme on TikTok. Bogus listings are attracting hopeful renters and buyers, then taking off with fees and deposits.

The advertisements on TikTok, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, and other popular platforms show attractive prices—but they’re designed to pick the pockets of innocent people. At the same time, they’re exploiting actual deed holders—people who really own these homes.

When the shady social accounts “clone” listings posted by agents, that’s a theft of intellectual property. When they list homes for rent that actually aren’t, that’s emotional distress for the deed holders and for the struggling people looking for affordable homes.

Noxious Activity on the Rise in Brutal Housing Economy

Scams are on the rise… why? Of course, technology is part of the reason. Apps and tools make it easy to lift other people’s marketing work and create bogus listings. Artificial intelligence helps bad actors toy with accounts and steal people’s personal information. Exploitation can happen remotely—even from beyond U.S. borders. When their social media accounts are shut down, scammers can quickly open new names and accounts.

But there’s an underlying factor that makes this game so very lucrative. It’s the economy. There’s a desire in the U.S. population, particularly in the very-much-online younger generations, to find homes within financial reach. Most buyers are pointedly looking for affordable homes near them, whether for rent or for sale.

And this is how scammers draw people in. They’re touting affordability in a housing market where prices have gone through the roof.

Another factor behind this frightening social media trend is the tendency of scammers who once populated Craigslist to look for new waters to swim in. Social media platforms offer new places to find people who haven’t yet caught on to the scams. They’re already notorious on Craigslist.  

Agents Hear From Flabbergasted Homeowners; Police Open Investigations

Scammers are grabbing photos and descriptions of real homes for sale. Home sellers are telling agents that they’re finding copies of their listings on social media platforms. Often, the listed homes are repackaged as rental offerings at almost unbelievably low prices.

Others appear to be homes available for purchase. And they are—but they’re someone else’s homes.

The true sellers tell their agents they’re feeling violated. True owners worry that hopeful renters will turn up at the home, confused or angry that the homes are not really available to rent. Owners wonder: will strangers attempt to get into their homes, after paying application fees to unknown manipulators?

One investor-owner, a licensed agent in New Jersey, saw his property advertised to renters through multiple accounts—at half the market price. He pretended to be an applicant. He said the advertiser would not arrange an in-person property showing.

The owner asked for the advertiser’s real estate credentials. The advertiser sent over a copy of a photo card from the New Jersey Real Estate Commission. The owner of the property knew a scam was afoot because it’s the Banking and Insurance division that licenses agents in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, deed holders in San Francisco’s East Bay neighborhood are sounding off about bogus rental listings for their homes. The advertisements are turning up on TikTok. Local law enforcement agents are on the case.

The problem first cropped up when a stranger came up to a home, following up on a rental ad. John Shaddle, whose home was caught up in the scam, told the press that the advertisements looked AI-generated. Shaddle texted the advertiser, who sent a text in reply, asking if Shaddle wanted to rent his own house! 

Stay Safe: The Big List of “Don’t Get Scammed” Tips

Images, addresses, and property details can all be ripped off from legitimate listings by scam artists. And these days, deed holders’ information is not hard to find through online searches. Across the country, officials are sending alerts to the public about how not to be sucked in. At Deeds.com, we read every piece of advice we see from law enforcement agencies. We’ve condensed the warnings we often see into a list of spot-on suggestions. Here they are.

• Friends, please don’t send any fees or deposits if you can’t visit the property first. And know that if you see a listing with no address, that can be a warning sign.

• Check established real estate websites or firms to confirm that an offer is legit. If the address appears on an above-board real estate site under a different agent’s name, there could be fakery going on.

• Know the payment methods most likely to be picked by scammers: online applications, crypto, Venmo or Cash App, gift cards, or wire transfers—and now Zelle.

• Verify by phone that a legitimate recipient is waiting where any money is supposed to be received. Remember, some of the listings out there are traps, set up to grab application fees.

• A price on a home that’s too good to be true probably isn’t true. Look out for homes going for amazing loan or rent costs. We repeat: Some scammers will ask for an application fee, accept it, and vanish.  

• Do an online search for the photos. You’re looking to see if they are copies, pirated from other sites.  

• Use caution with people who, for whatever reason, can’t make themselves available in person. Don’t feel pressed to make decisions before you know who you’re working with.

• If and when you interact with parties online, do keep screenshots, messages, and payment receipts.

• Don’t communicate by text messages or apps. Call the number on the listing, or go visit the actual office.

• If you do get scammed, stop talking to the suspect. Try to have the transaction stopped. Report the account to the social media company involved, and to law enforcement.

• Not getting support? Don’t hesitate to call media sources. Sometimes, investigative reporters will step in where the company or law enforcement won’t.

And please, slow down. Think. Guard the security of your personal details: Social Security number, bank account numbers, etc. Better to be safe than scammed.