Has anyone had their listing photos stolen for a scam?

Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes

Has this happened to anyone? Had a listing's photos get stolen and reposted somewhere else at a lower price, or dealt with someone impersonating your listing to collect a deposit from a renter? Trying to understand how often this actually happens and how people find out / what they do about it.

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Laurence J.Pro Member

Rental Property Investor · Chicago IL · Member since 2013 · 28 posts · 46 votes

1mo

HI @Michael Nkem - unfortunately this is extremely common across all the listing platforms. When I co-led the Rentals Org at Realtor.com this was a perpetual battle. In my experience, the lever you have is to go to the fraudulent listing and "mark it as fraudulent" so that the website takes it down. That action might look different on various websites, but is usually fairly obvious where to click.

Then, you can do a few things that make it harder for it to happen again, including specifically saying in the description that "tours must be done in person" (because the fraudulent lister doesn't usually alter the text) and putting watermarks on any photo that you list.

Just know that it's not you specifically they're targeting, this is just extremely common.

Good luck!

Best,

Laurence

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Tim KirkPro Member
Member since 2026 · 88 posts · 53 votes
1mo
I had someone on marketplace do it 👎🏻
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Oh no, was that your own listing getting stolen/reposted, or a client's? Curious how you even found out it was happening.
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- Tim KirkPro Member
  Member since 2026 · 88 posts · 53 votes
  1mo
  @Michael Nkem they took all my photos and created their own listing. Acted as if they were the landlord and collected a deposit just to schedule an a appointment to see it. The person who fell for it sent me a screenshot of the thread. To me, it screamed fake and they should've known better, but regardless it obviously happens. I don't recall how they (prospective tenant) ended up getting ahold of me, but they did to schedule a showing and I had to inform them of the apparent scam
  1 Reply
- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Appreciate you laying that out. The 'charge a deposit just to book a showing' angle is a smart (evil) twist, way lower friction than asking for a full deposit upfront, so people don't think twice. Good on the tenant for reaching back out to you before it went further, that doesn't always happen. This is actually exactly the pattern I'm trying to catch. I'm building a free tool (Verifi) that flags when listing photos are being reused/reposted elsewhere, so an agent (or a renter) can catch it before money hands, want to know how frequent it happens.
  
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Mike Kirby
Rental Property Investor · New Braunfels, TX · Member since 2021 · 289 posts · 256 votes
1mo
Quote from @Michael Nkem:

Has this happened to anyone? Had a listing's photos get stolen and reposted somewhere else at a lower price, or dealt with someone impersonating your listing to collect a deposit from a renter? Trying to understand how often this actually happens and how people find out / what they do about it.
We just got an email from our realtor yesterday. They had a house listed for sale on the MLS and someone took the photos and posted the house as a rental on Facebook Marketplace and Tik Tok posing as the landlord to collect a down payment for security deposit and first months rent. The victim never gets the house and they lose their money. Then the landlord just disappears.

It's up to the person that is looking for a rental to verify who really owns the property before sending a deposit. Use a licensed real estate agent, not just a name on marketplace.

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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  That's a smart move by the scammer honestly, pulling from an MLS sale listing means the photos already look professional and legitimate. Did your realtor say how they found out it was happening, or did the actual victim end up contacting them directly like in the other story on here?
  1 Reply
Laurence J.Pro Member
Rental Property Investor · Chicago IL · Member since 2013 · 28 posts · 46 votes
1mo
HI @Michael Nkem - unfortunately this is extremely common across all the listing platforms. When I co-led the Rentals Org at Realtor.com this was a perpetual battle. In my experience, the lever you have is to go to the fraudulent listing and "mark it as fraudulent" so that the website takes it down. That action might look different on various websites, but is usually fairly obvious where to click.
Then, you can do a few things that make it harder for it to happen again, including specifically saying in the description that "tours must be done in person" (because the fraudulent lister doesn't usually alter the text) and putting watermarks on any photo that you list.
Just know that it's not you specifically they're targeting, this is just extremely common.
Good luck!
Best,
Laurence
3 Reply
- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Really appreciate this, Laurence. The watermark + "tours must be in person" combo is a great low-effort deterrent I hadn't thought about. Out of curiosity, at the scale you saw this at Realtor.com, was it mostly opportunistic scammers reposting individual listings, or did you see more organized/repeat operations behind a lot of it?
  1 Reply
Michael K GallagherBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Columbus OH · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1mo
Happens pretty often in our market unfortunately. including on a bunch of open door listings. I'll get my rental listing impersonated also, that's why we generally only post on the MLS or zillow not on craigslist of marketplace, and advise anyone looking to confirm.
I also make it very clear when I meet people they won't be giving me a deposit or monty they will be giving it to the owner directly (this may not be your case but as the leasing agent most of the time for individual owners it is the case for us).
[email protected]614-362-2231
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Sad to know it's hitting Opendoor listings too, figured it'd mostly be individual owner posts. And that's a smart habit, sticking to MLS/Zillow and being upfront that money goes straight to the owner. That single line probably kills a chunk of the confusion right there, even for people who aren't scam-savvy.
  Quick one: when you catch an impersonated listing, do you usually find it yourself, or does it come from a prospective tenant reaching out like last time?
  0 Reply
Caleb Brown
Real Estate Agent · Kansas City · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1mo
Yes. I see it on FBMP a lot. You can report and blast the scam on social media. Sad but not a ton you can do
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Appreciate you weighing in, with your experience I'm guessing you've seen more of these than most. When you say "not a ton you can do," is that mostly about getting the platforms to act, or more that it keeps happening no matter what precautions you take on your end?
  0 Reply
Michael TempelBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · MN · Member since 2026 · 7 posts · 0 votes
1mo
Yep. Reason I try to watermark them with PM company name.
[email protected]612-703-8874
ROI Multifamily
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  That tracks with what someone else mentioned earlier in this thread too, watermarking seems to be one of the few things that actually helps. Has it cut down how often it happens to you, or do scammers still use the photos even with your PM company's name stamped on them?
  0 Reply
Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
1mo
Yep, happens all the time:(
We've actually had scammers drill out our locks and move someone in with a fake lease and all.
That's why you want to watermark your pics and Google your address 2x week to see where else posted.
Then you have to report it and hope the site takes it down quickly.
You can also put a permanent sign up at your property with your number warning prospects to contact you directly to avoid being scammed.
[email protected]248-209-6824
Logical Property Management4.9460 Reviews
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Drew, the drilled-lock/fake-lease one is honestly wild, that's a whole different level than what everyone else has described. How did that even get resolved, legally? And the twice-a-week Google search habit is smart but rough that it has to be manual, has that actually caught reposts in time before someone paid, or mostly after the fact?
  0 Reply
Chris SeveneyBusiness Member
Moderator
Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes
1mo
we see this all the time with our rentals. other people take the photos and post a property for rent on facebook marketplace or craigslist. it's a very common scam.
7e investments53 Reviews
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Appreciate you confirming it, Chris, seeing how consistent this is across everyone replying here is honestly the clearest signal I've gotten that it's a real, widespread problem and not just isolated bad luck. Curious, from a moderator's view, do you see this come up a lot in other threads/forums here too, or is it usually only surfacing when someone asks directly like this?
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Connor ReaumondPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 0 votes
1mo
From what I've seen, this is almost always to try to scam tenants out of a security deposit. They take the pictures with a price that is too good to be true in effort to create urgency and convince them to give them money before seeing it.
0 Reply
- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  That urgency angle is a good point, the below-market price isn't just bait, it's specifically designed to get someone to skip the "let me see it first" instinct. Is that from something you've dealt with directly, or more a pattern you've noticed watching listings in general?
  0 Reply
Nicole W.
Rental Property Investor · L.A. Ca · Member since 2020 · 121 posts · 43 votes
1mo
My rental was hijacked onto Marketplace and a prospective tenant paid that person a down payment. This was about 4 yrs ago. I just reported it and it disappeared the next day. Getting extremely poor Zillow leads now where I used to get many qualified tenants. Pretty crazy right now.
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Glad reporting actually worked for you, sounds like it doesn't always move that fast for everyone. Separate question if you don't mind: the drop in Zillow lead quality, do you think that's connected to scam/spam activity at all, or does it feel like something else going on with the platform?
  0 Reply
Adam BartomeoBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · Cape Coral, FL · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1mo
Yes, this is very common and lots of tenants get scammed. We find that Craigslist is a breeding grounds for these types of scams. Normally, we get a call from the tenant because they also saw our advertisement on another platform. There normally isn't much that you can do about it other than alert Craiglist.
[email protected]239-339-3969
Bartomeo Property Management4.7150 Reviews
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- Michael Nkem
  OP
  Member since 2026 · 18 posts · 4 votes
  1mo
  Craigslist coming up specifically is useful, a couple others in here mentioned Marketplace but you're the first to call Craigslist directly. And that pattern of the real tenant calling you because they'd already seen your legit ad elsewhere keeps coming up too, seems like that's often the only thing that catches it. Does this happen often enough that it's a real time sink for you, or more an occasional annoyance?
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