A Texas man says what looked like an incredible rental deal in Fort Worth quickly unraveled after he contacted the company that manages the home and learned it allegedly never advertised the property on TikTok in the first place. Matthew Daniels (@matthewdaniels073), who lives in Grapevine, shared the experience in a TikTok video.
Daniels said he and his wife drove to Fort Worth to tour what appeared to be a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home listed for $1,149 a month. After contacting the property manager, however, he said he was told the TikTok listing was fraudulent.
According to his video, the listing advertised a move-in cost of about $2,294, including a $1,000 deposit. He said the asking rent immediately caught his attention because comparable homes in that area of Fort Worth typically rent for much more.
Daniels sent a text, and he spoke with someone he thought was the landlord
Daniels then said he texted the person behind the listing and received questions that sounded like those a legitimate landlord would ask, including whether he had pets or felony convictions. He said he disclosed his criminal history and told the person he had turned his life around. According to Daniels, the individual accepted his explanation and claimed the rent remained low because higher prices had discouraged tenants from applying.
The conversation continued as Daniels and his wife arranged to tour the property. According to Daniels, the person instructed him to access the home through the Invitation Homes app. Instead of asking him to create his own account immediately, Daniels said the individual first sent him login credentials and directed him to complete identity verification using that account.
According to Daniels, verification repeatedly failed. The person on the phone then instructed him to create his own Invitation Homes account instead. Daniels said that process succeeded, allowing him to receive a temporary access code that unlocked the home’s smart lock.
He and his wife toured what he described as a “beautiful” house. Even so, Daniels said several details continued to concern him. While viewing the property inside the Invitation Homes app, he noticed the same address appeared with a monthly rent of about $2,200.
When he questioned the discrepancy, the person allegedly claimed the higher figure represented deposits, application fees and other charges, despite the app showing those costs separately. Daniels also said the individual claimed to be out of town and requested that he pay an application fee before moving forward. He responded that he wanted to pay any rent in person if they reached an agreement.
Daniels called Invitation Homes customer service
After leaving the property, Daniels said he received follow-up emails from Invitation Homes asking whether he remained interested in renting the house. He called the company’s customer service number and explained how he found the listing.
According to Daniels, a representative immediately asked where he had seen the advertisement. When he answered TikTok, Daniels said the representative replied, “No, sir. We do not advertise on any social media platform. That guy is a fraud. Do not listen to him.”
Daniels said the representative also explained that Invitation Homes rents its properties directly through the company rather than through private landlords. Daniels later returned to the TikTok profile that allegedly advertised the home and said it contained numerous listings for houses across Texas. He expressed concern that other users appeared interested.
“This is a new type of scam that I’ve never heard of,” Daniels said. Reflecting on the experience, he urged viewers to trust their instincts if something feels off, adding, “If something ain’t right, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Daniels’ experience resembles other reported rental scams in recent years. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned that scammers often copy legitimate rental listings, advertise unusually low prices, pressure prospective tenants to pay application fees or deposits before signing a lease, and impersonate real property managers or landlords. Security experts have also reported cases in which scammers misuse legitimate self-guided tour systems to make fraudulent listings appear authentic before requesting payment.
Published: Jul 27, 2026 03:10 pm