Northern Tasmanian Caitlyn Kearnes, 18, has been searching for a private rental property for eight months after being on the public housing priority waiting list for almost two years.

She is currently in emergency housing and is on the cusp of being homeless for the second time, frantically trying to find and create a home for she and her partner Zachary Hamilton, and his small child.

Ms Kearnes, like many who are searching for rental properties, posted on a private rentals Facebook page, one of the many groups that exist to help people find a house.

Her advertisement was answered by a male Facebook profile stating he had moved to Adelaide and had a property for rent.

"He sent me photos of a property, he sent me a lease saying that he was the owner and that we were going to rent it, " Ms Kearnes said.

"He approved everything, I sent rent money and then he was a no-show."

The scammer appeared to be very experienced at his con, with more than one hundred messages sent between them.

Ms Kearnes repeatedly voiced her concerns in messages with him about it being a scam and he repeatedly insisted that it was not, offering answers for everything.

Ms Kearnes asked "Promise me this isn't a scam right?"

He replied, "Caitlyn have told you everything yesterday okay ... just rest assured you have nothing to worries about," he wrote. "Immediately you pay the $300 I'm going to send you the keys immediately and send you the tracking number."

The scam involved pleasantries asking "How are you this morning", and elaborately included personal details about him needing to be sent the money so he could repay the loan for the house.

Ms Kearnes said she lost $300 in the scam and wants to warn others of the scamming risk.

"It is so hard to find a house. He had our hopes up that we were actually going to get a house, we were so happy," she said.

"Other people should watch out. Make sure you don't pay until you view the house in person and do not to a bank transfer, if it's a transfer then it is most likely 100 per cent a scam."

Tenants Union Tasmania solicitor Ben Bartl said expensive rent in Tasmania, low incomes and a low housing supply created an ideal situation for scammers to operate.

"People are in desperate situations and unfortunately people take advantage of that."

He said those looking for properties should be aware of the law, where rent or bond should never be paid to the private landlord directly.

"If anyone is asked by a private landlord to pay them the bond alarm bells should be ringing. It is an offence and they should only be paying to a registered real estate agent or to MyBond."

He said those looking for properties should be aware of the law, where rent or bond should never be paid to the private landlord directly.

"If anyone is asked by a private landlord to pay them the bond alarm bells should be ringing. It is an offence and they should only be paying to a registered real estate agent or to MyBond," he said.

"If you have been the victim of a scam report it to the police, report it to the social media provider and let others know about the scam."

This is exactly what Launceston resident Courtney Eve, 19, did, warning others on Facebook about a female scammer responding to her advertisement for a rental house.

She posted screenshots of her message exchange to the Facebook group, and her post received comments from others who had been targeted by the same scammer.

Ms Eve said when her suspicions were aroused she investigated further and Googled the address provided.

She discovered that the house in the photos provided by the scammer could not be the same house as the one she saw on Google maps.

She said it was awful that scammers were targeting desperate house hunters.

"Be careful and don't pay anything until you have seen the property in person or talked to the rental manager or owner in person," she said.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission scam watchdog Scamwatch has found increased scamming activity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

ACCC deputy commissioner Delia Rickard said those in younger age brackets had been most targeted in rent scams.

"The loss of personal information through rental scams is becoming more common, with scammers requesting copies of identity documents such as passports, bank statements or payslips," Ms Rickard said.

"Once a scammer has your personal information you are at risk of being targeted by further scams or identity theft."

More information on scams is available on the Scamwatch website, including how to make a report and where to get help.