Real Estate Scam Overview - Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are increasingly used for apartment hunting, but many listings are scams posted by individuals impersonating real estate agents [1] - Scammers repost legitimate videos with significantly lower rents to lure potential renters into quickly paying application fees [2] - The FBI has identified this as a growing scam [2] Scam Tactics and Impact - Scammers use photos and credentials of licensed real estate agents to create fake listings [4] - Victims are often asked to pay application fees, sometimes hundreds of dollars, for apartments they never see [3] - One victim lost $350 in an application fee for a Manhattan apartment listed at $1,100 per month [3] Social Media Response - TikTok reports proactively removing 97% of content violating impersonation guidelines in Q1 [5] - Meta uses automated and manual systems to block abusive accounts, but scammers constantly adapt their tactics [5] - Real estate agents find reporting and removing fake accounts a constant "whack-a-mole" situation [6] Prevention Tips - Research market rates to understand typical rents in the desired area [7] - Never send money for a rental unit that hasn't been seen in person [7] - Application fees are typically $25-$50, not hundreds of dollars [7] - Independently verify the contact information of the person listing the property, rather than clicking links in the ad [7]

RT Bloomberg Live (@BloombergLive)This week’s #BloombergTech #ChartoftheWeek reveals how AI is supercharging technology-enabled fraud costing organizations trillions.For more insights straight from @TheTerminal, join us in London this October.📈 https://t.co/Q9ZpbUIBzE https://t.co/1NSY84zjkH ...

$7 Billion Bitcoin Fraud Trial to Begin in London—What You Need to Know► https://t.co/oPMfv3N0ga https://t.co/oPMfv3N0ga ...

India regulator rejects US firm's fraud claims against Adani Group https://t.co/MoGii7FjAc ...

The SEC is dropping its fraud case against Carlos Watson Jr., the co-founder of now-defunct Ozy Media, who was spared from an almost 10-year prison term by President Trump after he was convicted of lying to investors https://t.co/iD5t0RX9J7 ...

A former hedge fund manager was charged by Manhattan federal prosecutors with defrauding several Harvard Business School classmates and others in his social circle of more than $4 million https://t.co/9NZuKDrMxq ...

You do get a snap back in jobless claims after the big rise last week, we fall back to 231,000. That's below the estimate. Last week was revised up by a thousand, so it was to 64.But remember, this was all in theory because of fraud in Texas. Texas officials say there were a whole lot of illegal filings the week before, and that looks like it is the case. The ongoing claims number is 1,920,000.That falls from 1,000,009 27. So the jobless claims numbers improved. Take a little bit of that edge off in terms o ...

CEO of ‘Textbook Ponzi’ Pleads Guilty in $200M Bitcoin Fraud Case► https://t.co/8wJUWrGcEW https://t.co/8wJUWrGcEW ...

.@CFTC Obtains $1.2M for Fraud Victims, $2.8M Overall From Florida Commodity Firm, Owner: https://t.co/suF30gEA3V ...

Linqto, a San Jose-based fintech startup that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has agreed to a deal to repay customers. Linqto pitched retail investors the chance to buy into coveted firms such as Ripple Labs and Elon Musk’s SpaceX ahead of IPOs. But court filings revealed that Linqto structured the investments through special purpose vehicles (SPVs) owned by the company itself, not by individual customers. That meant users never held the shares they thought they had purchased. Related: Linqto, platform ...