How do I spot a fake Facebook profile in a housing group?

Question

Accepted Answer

Fake profiles tend to be new or recently reactivated, with few friends, little personal history, stock or stolen photos, and a name that doesn't match the profile URL. They're often members of housing groups in many different cities at once. Any one sign can be innocent, but several together should make you cautious. Check how far back the posts and photos go. Months of history is better than a profile that appeared last week. Look at the friends. Real people usually have friends with shared connections, family names, a school or an employer. Reverse image search the profile picture. If their groups are visible, look for housing groups in lots of different cities, a classic sign of a scammer or spammer. Compare the name on the profile with the name in the URL. A mismatch can mean the account was bought or renamed. Housing Rocket moderators run checks like these before approving someone to join a group, which keeps many fake accounts out. No screening catches everything, because some scammers use hacked real accounts with years of history. A convincing profile is never a reason to skip checking the property and the owner. A profile that messages you about a listing never posted in the group is a red flag on its own. More examples are in how to detect Facebook housing scams.

Short answer