A Cherry Hill property listing was stolen, repackaged on TikTok, and used to lure renters into paying fake application fees and deposits, according to an Action News investigation published Thursday.
Maya Felsenstein, a Keller Williams agent based in Cherry Hill with more than 15 years of experience in the mortgage industry, learned her listing had been cloned only after a reporter contacted her.
"I mean, when you called and told me, I knew the possibility was always there, but I had no idea," Felsenstein told Action News.
The fraudulent post appeared under the TikTok handle "RentwBob," which advertised rental properties across South Jersey, including in Margate City, Bradley Beach and Cherry Hill. The scammer copied photos, videos and listing details from legitimate sites, then reposted them at steep discounts to attract apartment hunters.
How the scam works
Tom Dati of Keller Williams Realty in Ocean City discovered his Somers Point rental had been cloned at half its actual asking price. A prospective tenant tipped him off after spotting the same property on TikTok and a legitimate listing site at different prices.
Dati posed as a prospective renter and contacted the scammer. The person refused to schedule an in-person showing and eventually demanded $100 via Venmo or Cash App as an "application fee" before agreeing to discuss a visit. When Dati asked for a real estate license, the scammer sent a photo ID from the "New Jersey Real Estate Commission," a body that does not exist. New Jersey agents are licensed by the Division of Banking and Insurance.
Dati filed a police report and contacted TikTok. The platform took no action on his complaint, he said. Only after Action News began asking questions was the RentwBob account removed. A second account, @dyer870, was found posting similar listings.
TikTok told Action News it removed 99% of videos violating its fraud and scam policies in the first quarter of 2026 before they were reported.
A growing problem
Felsenstein said rental scams that once thrived on Craigslist have migrated to social media platforms like TikTok. Dati warned that scammers adapt quickly, changing IP addresses and creating new accounts under different names.
According to FTC data cited in the Action News report, renters have filed nearly 65,000 rental scam complaints since 2020, with losses totaling about $65 million. The FTC says real losses are likely much higher because many scams go unreported. The FTC also reports that people ages 18 to 29 are three times more likely than other adults to lose money to a rental scam.
How Cherry Hill renters can protect themselves
Real estate agents advise renters to:
- Use reputable listing websites rather than social media posts.
- Insist on seeing a property in person before sending any money.
- Be suspicious of rental prices that seem unusually low for the area.
- Never pay application fees through Venmo, Cash App, or other peer-to-peer platforms without verifying the landlord's identity.
- Confirm an agent's license through the New Jersey Division of Banking and Insurance.
