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How to tell if a rental listing is fake

A rental listing is probably fake if the rent is well below similar places, the “owner” can't show it to you, and they want an application fee or deposit before you have seen inside. Check who owns the property on your county's property records, search the photos to see if they were copied, and never pay by wire, gift card, crypto or a payment app to someone you haven't met. Money sent those ways is usually gone for good.
A bunch of house keys on a ring with a blue tag, lying on a white wooden surface
Photo: Anestiev on Pixabay

Before you pay a deposit on a rental

Tap each one as you check it.

Signs a rental listing is fake

Red flags

  • Rent far below similar places nearby
  • The owner is abroad, away, or can't meet you
  • No viewing inside, or only a lockbox code
  • A fee or deposit before you have seen it
  • Payment by wire, gift card, crypto or payment app
  • Pressure to decide today
  • Asks for your Social Security number or a credit score screenshot early

Safer signs

  • Rent in line with local listings
  • You meet the owner or agent at the property
  • The owner's name matches county property records
  • The listing is on the company's own website
  • A lease to read before you pay anything
  • The landlord runs the credit check themselves

What the message looks like

Example. Names and numbers are made up.
An owner who is away, a rush, and money before a viewing: that combination is the whole scam.

How to check who owns the property

  1. Look the address up on your city or county tax assessor or property records website, and compare the owner's name with the person you are talking to.
  2. Search the address together with the owner's or company's name. Different names attached to the same address are a warning sign.
  3. If a management company is named, check that the property is listed on its own website, and call it on a number you found yourself.
  4. Search the person's or company's name with the words “scam”, “complaint” and “review”.

A tour on its own is not proof. The FTC says some scammers copy listings from landlords who use self-guided tours and send you the lockbox code, so check ownership even if you got inside.

Check whether the photos were copied

Fake listings often reuse the photos, description or virtual tour from a real listing, with the scammer's contact details swapped in. Save a listing photo and use Google's search with an image to see where else it appears.

Be wary if the same photos show up with a different price, a different agent, or as a home for sale rather than for rent. No match does not prove a listing is real, so still check ownership.

How common rental scams are

From January 2020 to June 2025, people reported nearly 65,000 rental scams to the FTC, with about $65 million lost and a median loss of $1,000. In the 12 months to June 2025, about half of those reports started with a fake ad on Facebook, and 16% with a listing on Craigslist.

People aged 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money, and many said they were targeted in Facebook groups students use to find sublets near campus. The FTC notes most scams are never reported, so the real numbers are higher.

If it already happened

  1. Contact your bank, card issuer or the payment service you used right away and report the payment as fraud.
  2. Report the listing to the website or app where you found it, and to your local police.
  3. Report it to your state attorney general as well as the FTC.
  4. If you sent your Social Security number, a photo of your license or paystubs, treat it as identity theft and consider freezing your credit.
  • ReportFraud.ftc.govReport the scam to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • IC3.govThe FBI’s internet crime complaint center, for losses online.
  • IdentityTheft.govIf they got your ID, Social Security number or account details.

Questions

How do I know if a landlord is real?
Check that the name matches the owner on county property records, meet them at the property, and contact them using details you found yourself, not ones they sent you.
Is it normal to pay a deposit before seeing an apartment?
No. The FTC lists pressure to pay an application fee, deposit or first month's rent before you have seen the place as a classic sign of a rental scam.
Can a scammer give me a tour of a rental?
Yes. Some copy self-guided tour listings and send a lockbox code, so a tour alone does not prove the person owns or manages the property.
Should I send my Social Security number with a rental application?
Not before you have agreed to rent and checked the landlord is real. Landlords usually run credit checks themselves, and scammers use credit score requests to sign people up for paid services.

Before you pay a deposit, you can ask the landlord to prove who they are with a Realr check; it confirms the person, not that they own the property.

Ask them to verify

Sources

Checked against the sources above on 17 October 2026. By Manav Sharma, Marketing Team, Realr. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

Ask them to prove who they are, before you pay or meet.

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