South Jersey realtor warns of TikTok rental scam using cloned property listings

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A South Jersey realtor is warning renters about a scheme on TikTok that uses copied real estate listings to collect application fees, deposits and rent payments from unsuspecting victims.

According to real estate agents interviewed by Action News, scammers are copying legitimate rental listings, including photographs and videos, and reposting them on TikTok at deeply discounted prices. The goal, they said, is to illegally obtain fees and payments from prospective tenants.

One TikTok account, operating under the handle RentwBob, advertised numerous rental properties in locations including Margate City, Bradley Beach and Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Tom Dati of Keller Williams Realty in Ocean City said a scammer copied one of his listings.

"He actually took my listing with the same pictures, all my intellectual property, and he built a listing for my apartment," Dati said.

Dati said he learned of the cloned listing after a prospective tenant noticed his Somers Point rental appearing both on TikTok and on legitimate listing sites, but at different prices.

"He offered it for rent at half the price I was actually listing to rent for," Dati said.

An examination of the RentwBob listings against other online records found multiple listings that appeared to be fraudulent, including a Cherry Hill property listed by agent Maya Felsenstein.

"I mean, when you called and told me, I knew the possibility was always there, but I had no idea," Felsenstein said.

Felsenstein said cloned listings are effective because many people are searching for affordable housing. She noted that similar scams previously appeared frequently on Craigslist and now appear to be migrating to social media platforms.

"It kind of became that scam central. I think TikTok's relatively newer. So I think they're just getting a bit more savvy," she said.

Dati said he contacted the person behind the TikTok listings while posing as a prospective tenant. He said the individual would not arrange an in-person property showing.

"He avoided the 'when can we see it' question and finally got to the point where you either 'Venmo or Cash App me a $100 for an application, then we can talk about seeing it,'" Dati said.

After asking for a real estate license, Dati said the person sent what appeared to be identification from the New Jersey Real Estate Commission.

"He sent me a photo ID from the New Jersey Real Estate Commission. Real Estate Commission doesn't license us; the Division of Banking and Insurance licenses us," Dati said.

Dati said he filed a police report and also contacted TikTok in an effort to have the fraudulent listings removed.

"They took no action," he said.

"I feel bad for anybody that might get taken advantage of this scheme," Dati added.

In a statement to Action News, a TikTok spokesperson said real estate scams are widespread across the internet and on social media. The company also said it removed 99% of videos that violated fraud and scam policies in the first quarter of the year before they were reported.

Dati said scammers can quickly adapt when accounts are removed.

"There's nothing we can do because no matter what happens, like his IP address changes. He'll change his name, he'll just start cloning it under a different name. And unfortunately, there's not really much that they can do," he said.

Since Action News began asking questions about the account, the RentwBob handle has been removed from TikTok. However, the report found that another account, identified as @dyer870, appeared to be posting similar listings.

Real estate agents advise renters to use reputable listing websites, insist on seeing properties in person before sending money, and be cautious of rental prices that appear unusually low.