Troy woman loses $1,770 to fake TikTok rental listing, police say

A Troy woman was scammed out of $1,770 through a TikTok ad for a house available for rent, police say.

According to Troy police, the 37-year-old victim reported on Nov. 1 that she saw a TikTok ad for a house available for rent.

The victim texted the phone number listed in the ad and spoke with a male who said he could get her a lease for the property, police say.

The victim was told that she would need to pay an application fee, a security deposit and first month's rent, for a total of $1,070.

The victim agreed to pay the amount and attempted to make the payment through Zelle, but it didn't go through, according to police.

Police say the victim was then instructed to purchase Apple gift cards as payment and provide the codes to the suspect, which she did.

The victim was then instructed to purchase another $700 gift card to cover the second month's rent, police say, and she did so.

The suspect then ceased all communication with the victim, according to police.

How to spot and avoid rental listing scams

According to the Michigan Attorney General's Consumer Protection division, these are the signs of scammers to watch out for when looking at rental listings:

• You're asked to wire money.
• You're asked to provide a security deposit or first month's rent before touring or signing a lease.
• You find the listing under different names.
  
• You learn the landlord is out of town.
  

You can file a consumer complaint form on this website.