Apartment rental scammers use real listings, impersonate agents

Scammers are using genuine apartment listings and stealing real estate agents’ identities on social media to con desperate prospective renters.

Ever scroll through Instagram or TikTok and suddenly stop in your tracks because you see a beautiful apartment for rent for only $1,100 a month?

The listing looks real … because it is. The real estate agent appears legitimate … because the person is real. But it’s only after you pay the “refundable” $350 application fee that you learn the truth: It’s a scam.

“I knew it in my gut but I double checked everything, looked him up, my friend checked too … it all seemed so legitimate,” Jenny Diaz, 28, said.

Earlier this year, Diaz landed a new job and was ready to live on her own. Her friend sent her an Instagram post — a video of what looked like the perfect Manhattan apartment. The profile had more than 27,000 followers, making it feel credible.

“It’s so hard to find apartments. I was using all sorts of apps but they get taken so quickly. And then my friend alerted me to these videos she was seeing on IG of these great apartments for reasonable prices.”