Hundreds of fake advertisements for student housing are circulating on TikTok, prompting housing platforms and student unions to push for stronger action from social media networks.
Fraudsters are downloading real property listings and photographs from established housing portals like Pararius and reposting them on TikTok to deceive people looking for a place to live.
How advance payment scams target renters
The listings typically ask prospective tenants to transfer money before they can arrange a property viewing. Fraudsters label these upfront costs as reservation guarantees, viewing fees, or security deposits, which then vanish along with the listing once sent.
Data from national reporting center Fraudehelpdesk shows a sharp rise in these cases, with 175 reports of ad-based rental fraud filed in the first half of 2026, compared to just 21 in the previous six months.
Impact on student house hunters
The national student union LSVb noted that young people are losing significant sums of money, with some transferring up to three months of rent for rooms that do not exist.
International students moving to the country are particularly exposed because they are often unfamiliar with local rules and lack an immediate safety net.
Rental platform Pararius stated that it is frequently contacted by victims who mistakenly believe they used the official site, after making payments to fraudsters posing as landlords.
Calls for platform accountability
Pararius has sent TikTok dossiers containing police reports and a registered letter demanding the removal of fraudulent accounts, and the company is preparing legal steps.
While TikTok removed a batch of accounts flagged in an investigation by public broadcast program NOS Stories, dozens of other suspicious accounts remain active on the platform.
Other online listing services have echoed concerns over social media fraud.
Housing website Funda warns visitors on its site about off-platform scams, while room-search service Kamernet advises users to report suspicious social posts directly so legal action can be pursued if they are not taken down.
