Deepak Gupta

Shopping and marketplace · Also called fake landlord scam, rental deposit scam, hijacked listing, fake apartment ad

Rental listing scam

A rental listing scam is a fake advert for a home or holiday rental, often copied from a real listing or for a property that does not exist. The fake landlord cannot show you inside, pushes you to decide quickly, and takes an application fee, deposit, or first month's rent before disappearing.

How it works

Scammers copy photos and details from a real listing, or invent one, and post it at an attractive price on listing sites or social media.
The fake landlord says they are away or out of the country and cannot show the property in person.
They ask for an application fee, deposit, or first month's rent, and sometimes identity documents, to hold the property.
After payment they stop replying, and the renter finds the property is not available or not theirs to rent.

Red flags

The rent is much lower than for similar properties nearby.
The landlord cannot meet you or show you inside the property.
You are pushed to pay a deposit before viewing or signing a contract.
You are told to pay by wire transfer, gift card, payment app, or cryptocurrency.

If you are targeted

Stop contact and do not send more money.
Contact your bank or payment provider at once to try to stop or reverse the payment.
If you sent identity documents, watch for identity theft and consider placing a fraud alert.
Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
Report the listing to the website that hosted it.

Where to report, by country

Prevention

For individuals

Search the address and the owner's name with words like scam or review; the same property advertised elsewhere under another name is a warning sign.
See the property in person, or have someone you trust do so, and get a written contract before you pay.
Do not pay anyone who says you can only pay by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency.

For organisations

Listing sites and social platforms can check that advertisers own or manage the property and remove duplicated listings.
Letting agents can publish their real listings and warn renters about copies posted elsewhere.

By the numbers

Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.

Real estate fraud losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025	$275.1M	US, 2025, FBI IC3
Authorised push payment fraud losses in the UK in 2025	£576.4M	GB, 2025, UK Finance

Real cases

No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.

Delivered through: Social media ads and posts

How official datasets classify it

FBI IC3: Real Estate
UK Finance: Purchase scam
Scamwatch: Buying and selling scams

Questions

How can I tell if a rental listing is fake?: Warning signs include rent far below similar homes, a landlord who cannot show you the property, pressure to pay a deposit before viewing, and requests to pay by wire, gift card, or crypto.
Should I pay a deposit before seeing a rental?: No. See the property in person, or ask someone you trust to, and get a written contract before paying any money.