When you’re looking for an apartment or vacation rental, you’re probably looking at price, location and amenities. Scammers know that, so they make up fake rental listings they know will grab your attention — and money — before you discover there isn’t a place waiting for you. Before you make a move, learn how to spot and avoid fake ads and protect your money.
Scammers take over legitimate rental listings and make them their own. Scammers copy the pictures and descriptions of online rental listings, replace the agent’s contact information with their own, and post the phony ads on a new site. If you call or email about the rental you’ll reach a scammer, who may take your money for an application fee, deposit, first month’s rent, or vacation rental charge. Then, the scammer disappears, and you’re left with no place to move in to.
What to do: Search online for the rental location’s address, together with the name of the property owner or rental company. If other ads come up for the same address, but with a different owner or rental company name, that’s a sign of a scam. Look for the name of the rental company and search the rental company’s website yourself to see if the property is listed there too. If it isn’t, the ad you found may be a scam.
Scammers make up listings for places that aren’t for rent or don’t exist. The fake ads might offer surprisingly low rent or amazing amenities. When you ask to see the rental, the fake owner might claim to be out of the country, or give another excuse for not showing the property, and may rush you into a quick decision. Then the fake owner might tell you to send money by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency to pay your application fee, deposit, or first month’s rent. The fake owner promises to get you the keys right away. Except, after you pay, the person you’ve been dealing with will disappear with your money.
What to do: Don’t send payment for a property you’ve never seen, or to a person you’ve never met in person. If you send money by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency, it’s like sending cash. Once it’s gone, you probably can’t get it back. If you can’t see the apartment or sign a lease before you pay, keep looking.
If you notice a rental listing scam, report it to your local law enforcement agency and the website where the ad was posted. And report it to