ROCHESTER, NY — Rental scams on social media are fooling people who are looking for apartments and pushing them to send deposits or sign leases before they realize the listing is fake. In Rochester, local realtor and AI expert Jeremias Maneiro says the problem has become especially visible on TikTok, where cheap-looking apartments can spread quickly and appear convincing at first glance.
Maneiro said scammers are using the same templates over and over, swapping in different photos and details to target renters in different markets. In one example, a social media video advertised an apartment in the Park Ave neighborhood at Arnold Park Apartments for $700. The real cost for a studio there is $905 plus monthly fees, bringing the total to $1,030.
How the fake apartment videos are built
Maneiro said many of the scam listings look nearly identical, which makes them easier to create in bulk and harder for renters to spot. He found that the posts often rely on stolen photos pulled from legitimate rental listings, then pair those images with prices that sit far below what the market usually asks.
That low price is part of the hook. Renters scrolling quickly may see what looks like a bargain and move fast before checking the address or the property details. Maneiro said the videos are designed to catch people before they compare the listing with a real apartment ad or confirm whether the unit is actually available.
He described the scam as a system built by people using repeatable templates across many places. That pattern, he said, is part of what makes the fraud so persistent and so difficult to fully shut down.
Hundreds of accounts and repeated takedowns
Using artificial intelligence, Maneiro said he identified 380 different accounts posting scam listings in the area. He has been reporting those fake ads to TikTok, and the platform has been removing them, sometimes quickly after they are flagged.
Even so, the removals have not kept pace with the reposting. Maneiro said 47 scam videos were taken down in one week, but about 100 more appeared after that. In his view, the scammers seem prepared for that cycle, expecting some accounts to be reported and removed while replacement posts continue to surface.
He said one account may disappear in the morning and another one will appear soon after. That constant churn, he said, makes the problem frustrating for renters and for anyone trying to keep up with it.
Why renters are being urged to check the price and deposit
Maneiro said one of the clearest warning signs is a rent price that sits well below the market. Another is a deposit that is unusually small. In his experience, deposits in the Rochester market are typically equal to one month’s rent, so a listing asking for half that amount or no deposit at all should raise concern.
Scammers often try to make the deal look irresistible, but Maneiro said renters should pause when a listing seems too good to be true. A big discount or a rushed request for money can be a sign that the post is meant to pull in fast responses before anyone has time to verify the property.
He urged renters to search the address online and compare what turns up with the listing they saw on social media. That extra step can reveal whether the apartment is real, already listed elsewhere, or tied to a different rental price altogether.
Some scams use AI to invent entire addresses
Beyond fake photos and copied descriptions, Maneiro warned that some scammers are using artificial intelligence to create rentals on streets that do not exist. That adds another layer to the fraud, because a listing may look polished while hiding the fact that the location itself is made up.
If an address cannot be found in a search, he said that is another major red flag. Renters should not assume a missing address is a minor error, especially if the rest of the listing is pushing for a quick response or demanding money up front.
That kind of deception can be harder to detect than a bargain price alone, which is why Maneiro said renters need to slow down and verify every part of the offer. The more polished the scam, the more important it becomes to confirm the basics.
Why working with a realtor can help renters avoid fraud
Maneiro also pointed to a more traditional safeguard: using a realtor. He said it costs nothing for renters to work with one, and that a realtor can help identify fake listings before a tenant sends money or signs anything.
For renters trying to move quickly, that kind of help can be practical as well as protective. A realtor can compare an online post with legitimate rental information and help narrow the search to properties that actually exist. That matters when scam videos are spreading fast and fake posts can be replaced almost as quickly as they are removed.
In Maneiro’s view, the biggest defense is staying skeptical of flashy deals and checking the facts before acting. In a rental market where social media can make a fake apartment look real, he said the safest approach is to verify every detail first.
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