Housing scam rocks wealthy California enclave — as officials issue warning

Officials in Orange County urged residents to watch out for rental property scams circulating on social media on Monday.

Placentia Police Department (PPD) outlined ways for prospective renters to protect themselves and take steps in case they become victims in a Facebook post.

“Our department is tracking a sharp rise in rental property scams on social media platforms, including Facebook Marketplace, TikTok, and Instagram. Scammers are stealing photos and descriptions from legitimate real estate listings (homes currently for sale or on the MLS) and reposting them as highly affordable rental properties to steal your money,” said PPD.

“Do you send money until you or a trusted friend have physically walked through the inside of the property. Search the property address online. Check if it is actually listed for sale on legitimate sites like Zillow or Realtor.com under a completely different agent’s name,” the police department continued.

Along with ways on how people can protect themselves, police also laid out a list of red flags to look out for such as prices being unbelievably low or landlords demanding a deposit fee before showing the actual property.

Most recently, TikTok rental listings scams were exposed by residents in Northern California.

One East Bay resident discovered the scam after a random stranger came up to him looking at the house next door and asking if “anyone lives here.”

The resident alerted his neighbor about the scam, who then discovered that his home had been falsely listed for an $800 rental.

If people end up being victims, they are encouraged to contact their banks to freeze funds and to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Placentia police also urged victims to report the listing to the platform of where they found it and to file a police report by contacting 714-993-8164.