Overview
- The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center logged more than 130 real-estate complaints tied to social media in the first five months of 2025 with about $600,000 in losses, after 150 complaints and $1.5 million in 2024.
- Fraudsters pose as licensed brokers by reusing names and license numbers, sending altered license photos, and pointing victims to convincing fake company websites.
- Victims describe being told to pay a roughly $350 refundable application fee to secure a tour, receiving a confirmation, then getting no further response.
- Brokerages and agents report reputational and operational harm; Keller Williams NYC issued a consumer alert, and agents Mike Bussey and Shane Boyle say their videos and identities are repeatedly cloned.
- Platforms cite large-scale removals—TikTok says it proactively removed 97% of impersonation-violating content in Q1 2025—yet agents describe a persistent “whack-a-mole” pattern and advise in-person tours, independent verification, and noting typical application fees are usually no more than about $50.