Rental Deposit Scam — How Fake Listings Steal Your Housing Money
You found a great apartment or house online at a below-market price. The landlord is out of town but asks for a deposit to hold it. After you wire money or send a cashier's check, the landlord vanishes and the listing disappears. Rental scams use real photos from legitimate listings to steal deposits from desperate renters.
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How This Scam Works
High Risk — Rental Deposit Scams Steal Thousands From Desperate Renters
Never wire money or send a deposit for a rental without seeing the property in person and verifying the landlord's identity.
Note: This scam typically arrives via online listings (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Zillow), not email. If you received a suspicious email, forward it to check@scam.support for a free risk assessment. For rental scams, report to the FTC — see all reporting agencies.
You find a great apartment or house online at a below-market price. The "landlord" is out of town but asks for a deposit to hold it. They may send a legitimate-looking lease agreement. After you wire money or send a cashier's check, the landlord vanishes and the listing disappears. In many cases, the listing used photos stolen from legitimate real estate websites.
According to the FTC, rental scams are a commonly reported fraud type, particularly in markets with competitive housing. The FBI's IC3 has noted that real estate fraud, including rental scams, results in significant annual losses. Scammers often copy entire listings from legitimate sites and repost them at below-market prices.
Red Flags
- Price is significantly below market rate for the area
- Landlord cannot meet in person or show the property
- Asks for deposit before you can see the property
- Requests payment by wire transfer, cashier's check, or cryptocurrency
- Listing photos may appear on other websites under different addresses
What You Should Do
What To Do
- Never send money for a rental without seeing it in person
- Verify the landlord's identity and ownership through public property records
- Do a reverse image search on listing photos
- Be suspicious of prices significantly below market rate
- Use established rental platforms with built-in protections when possible
Sources
- FTC Consumer Information — Rental listing scams
- FBI IC3 2023 Internet Crime Report — Real estate and rental fraud