Social Media Scammers Exploit Bay Area Rental Market

Fraudsters steal real estate agents' house tour videos and post them on TikTok and Instagram with drastically lowered rents to lure victims

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Scammers in the San Francisco Bay Area are stealing real apartment tour videos from local real estate agents and reposting them on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, but with greatly reduced rental prices. The fraudsters then ask victims for deposits or application fees before 'showing' the unit, only to disappear once they have the money. This scam has exploded alongside the rise of social media as a real estate marketing tool, leaving agents scrambling to warn the public.

Why it matters

The San Francisco rental market is already extremely competitive, and these scams are taking advantage of desperate renters looking for affordable housing. The problem highlights the risks of relying solely on online listings and the need for increased vigilance when apartment hunting, especially in high-demand markets.

The details

Scammers are stealing real apartment tour videos directly from Bay Area real estate agents' social media pages, sometimes even impersonating the agents by copying their names, headshots, and license information. They then post the videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, advertising one-bedroom units for as little as $1,800 per month - a fraction of the actual market rate. By the time victims realize it's a scam and try to back out, the fraudsters have already collected deposits or application fees, then vanish.

  • In March 2026, the scam was first reported by SFGate.
  • The 'Budget Friendly Homes' TikTok account, which had nearly 12,000 followers, has since been taken down.

The players

Dave Chesnosky

A local real estate agent who told SFGate that the scam problem has exploded alongside the rise of social media as a marketing tool.

Marsha Abrahams

A Bay Area agent for Sotheby's International Realty who has had to confront fraud on her own social media page, warning clients that she is not the one offering luxury lofts for low prices.

Nick Abraham

A Compass Realty agent who had his identity used fraudulently, only learning about it after a stranger messaged him asking if he had received a deposit.

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What they’re saying

“It's always when the market gets really busy — rents are going up — when there's limited inventory and a lot of demand, then the scammers come out.”

— Dave Chesnosky, Real estate agent (SFGate)

“The accounts using the handles @for_rent_sanfrancisco and @marsha_abrahams are not affiliated with me in any way. I do not advertise rental listings or request deposits through TikTok, WhatsApp, or text message.”

— Marsha Abrahams, Real estate agent (Instagram)

“I looked it up and they had taken my actual picture, my actual department of real estate license number and were impersonating me.”

— Nick Abraham, Real estate agent (SFGate)

What’s next

Experts advise that the best way to avoid these scams is to insist on seeing a rental unit in person before paying any deposits or fees.

The takeaway

This scam highlights the risks of relying solely on online listings, especially in competitive rental markets like San Francisco. It underscores the need for renters to exercise caution, verify the legitimacy of listings and agents, and never send money without first seeing a unit in person.