Rental Scams: How Fake Listings, Fake Landlords, and Deposit Scams Steal Your Money

Looking for a rental can already feel stressful. Good places move fast, prices are high, and much of the search happens online. And scammers know that. They use that pressure to make fake listings feel urgent and believable, then try to get your money or personal information before you slow down and verify anything. The FTC says that since 2020, consumers have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams and about $65 million in losses. In the 12 months ending in June 2025, about half of people who reported a rental scam said it started with a fake ad on Facebook, and another 16% said it started on Craigslist.

What makes rental scams work is that they often don’t look outrageous. The listing may show a real property. The photos may be stolen from a legitimate ad. The rent may be low, but not so cheap that it feels fake. The person posing as the landlord or leasing agent may sound professional and responsive. The scam usually works by creating just enough trust to get you to send an application fee, deposit, first month’s rent, or sensitive personal information before you’ve verified who you’re really dealing with.

How rental scams usually work

Rental scams can take different forms, but many of them follow familiar patterns:

• The copied listing scam

  A scammer takes a real rental ad, changes the contact information, and reposts it somewhere else. The property may exist, but the person answering your messages isn’t the real landlord or leasing agent. One clue is when the same address appears online with different contact information, different pricing, or a different company attached to it.

  
  

• The fake property scam

  The property may not actually be available to rent, may already be rented, or may not exist at all. The scammer may claim to be out of town, overseas, or otherwise unable to show it right away. Then comes the pressure. They say there is strong interest, tell you to act fast, and ask for money to hold the unit.

  
  

• The deposit-before-viewing scam

  The message here is simple: send money now or lose the apartment. This is one of the clearest warning signs. A legitimate landlord may move quickly in a competitive market, but demanding money before you have verified the property and the person is a major red flag.

  
  

• The fake credit check or screening link scam

  The scammer says they need proof that you’re creditworthy and sends you to a site that appears to offer a low-cost credit check. In some cases, these links sign people up for paid memberships with recurring charges. In others, the scammer may earn money when the renter signs up. So the goal isn’t always just to steal a deposit. Sometimes it’s also to profit from the application process itself.

  
  

• The identity theft version

  The rental application is really a way to collect sensitive personal information. A scammer may ask for your full name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license, pay stubs, or bank information before you’ve independently confirmed the property and the landlord. Once they have that information, the damage can go beyond the rental itself.

  
  

• The fake self-tour or lockbox scam

  Older rental scam warnings used to focus mostly on fake listings and upfront payments. Those are still important, but some scammers now add a more convincing twist by using self-guided tour arrangements or lockbox access. That can make the renter think, “I got inside, so this must be real,” even when the scammer has no legitimate connection to the property.

What the warning signs look like

Even when rental scams take different forms, the warning signs are often familiar:

• A rent price that seems unusually good

  Scammers know that a bargain gets attention. If the rent looks noticeably better than similar listings nearby, that should make you pause. Fake listings often use lower prices or unusually attractive amenities to draw people in quickly.

  
  

• An excuse for why the landlord cannot meet or show the unit

  The person may say they’re traveling, deployed, overseas, helping a relative, or otherwise unavailable for any in-person showing. That doesn’t automatically prove fraud, but it should make you slow down and verify more.

  
  

• Pressure to pay quickly

  Scammers often say there are multiple applicants and that the first person to send money gets the place. That urgency is part of the scam. It’s meant to keep you from researching the property, checking records, or asking questions that expose the lie.

  
  

• A risky or hard-to-recover payment method

  Be very cautious if someone insists on payment by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or a similar method that is hard to reverse. A demand for payment that way is a serious reason to walk away.

  
  

• Requests for a full application or sensitive documents too early

  Be careful if someone asks for your Social Security number, driver’s license, pay stubs, or bank information before you’ve verified the property and met the landlord or property manager. At that point, the scam may no longer be just about the rental. It may also be about stealing your identity.

What you can do to protect yourself

• Verify the property and the person separately

  Search the address online and see whether the same property appears elsewhere under different names, different prices, or different contact information. Look up the landlord, property manager, or rental company online using words like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.” It’s also smart to check whether the property appears on the company’s real website. If it doesn’t, that’s a problem.

  
  

• See the property in person whenever possible

  If you can, visit the apartment before sending money or signing anything. If you’re searching from another city or state, ask a trusted friend to visit for you. If you can’t see the apartment or sign a lease before paying, that’s a strong reason to slow down or move on.

  
  

• Be careful how you pay

  Don’t wire money to someone you don’t know. Don’t pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other hard-to-recover methods. And don’t send money just because someone says the apartment will be gone in an hour. If the deal is real, it should hold up under basic verification.

  
  

• Be selective about personal information

  There may come a point in a legitimate application when a landlord needs information from you, but that should happen after you’ve verified the listing and the person behind it. Don’t hand over sensitive documents just because someone sent you a polished listing and a short deadline.

  
  

• Use public records and official sources

  For Boston-area renters, local consumer guidance suggests checking the property owner in the city database, confirming that any broker is properly licensed by the state, and making sure the unit is registered with Inspectional Services. Even outside Boston, the broader lesson still applies: use public records and official sources, not just the information inside the listing.

What to do if you think you already got scammed

• If you already sent money, act fast

  Contact your bank, card issuer, payment app, or wire transfer company right away and tell them the transaction was fraudulent. Ask whether the payment can be reversed or stopped.

  
  

• If you shared personal information, start damage control immediately

  Go to IdentityTheft.gov and begin the recovery process as soon as possible. The sooner you respond, the better your chances of limiting the damage.

  
  

• Report the scam

  Report it to the platform where the listing appeared, to the FTC, and, if money was transferred, to IC3 and your financial institution.

Final takeaway

Rental scams are effective because they don’t have to look dramatic. A fake listing, a believable excuse, a little urgency, and a request for money or documents can be enough. The safest approach is simple: verify the listing, verify the person, see the place before paying, and treat any pressure to move fast as a reason to slow down. That may cost you a little time, but it can save you from losing money, exposing your identity, or showing up on move-in day with nowhere to live.