Recent data from the Federal Trade Commission shows renters have lost millions of dollars to schemes. Since 2020, nearly 65,000 rental scams and $65 million in losses have been reported, with many tied to fake listings online which look legit.
Scammers copy real listings, then pressure renters to send money before seeing the place. The bad actors also collect personal information that can lead to identity theft.
Never pay or send personal information before touring a property in person and verifying the landlord.
Even if you see a place in-person, you can still get duped by a fake who has access to the space.
Search the address online. If you see the same place listed at different prices or with different contacts, that's a red flag.
Rental scams usually involve fake rental listings, which can often look very real and copy information from legitimate listings but are posted with the scammer's contact information on different sites, according to the FTC's latest Consumer Protection Data Spotlight.