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Scammers post fake rental listings using stolen photos from real properties, collect security deposits and first month's rent, then vanish. IC3 logged 9,359 real estate/rental complaints with $173.6M in losses in 2024. Half of rental scam reports to the FTC in 2025 started on Facebook.
Annual Losses
$173.6M in combined real estate/rental fraud (FBI IC3 2024); $65M in rental-specific losses (FTC 2020-2025 cumulative)
Avg Loss / Victim
$1,000 median per FTC Data Spotlight (Dec 2025); range $1,000-$5,000 (security deposit + first/last month rent). Ages 18-29 are 3x more likely to lose money
Primary Vector
Facebook Marketplace (50%), Craigslist (16%), Zillow, Apartments.com
Peak Season
Summer moving season (May-Aug); college move-in (Aug-Sep)
Scammers copy photos and descriptions from legitimate rental listings (Zillow, Realtor.com, Airbnb) and repost them on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist at below-market rent. When a prospective tenant inquires, the 'landlord' pressures them to send a deposit immediately to secure the unit — often via wire transfer, CashApp, or Zelle. Victims arrive to find the property is already occupied, for sale, or doesn't match the listing. In some cases, scammers create fake lease agreements and collect both deposit and first/last month's rent.
Hover or tap the highlighted text to see why each element is a red flag.
[Facebook Marketplace listing] 2BR/1BA apartment in downtown — $850/month (market rate: $1,400)Red flag: 40% below market rent is a classic lure — if the price seems too good, it is Available immediately. Pet friendly. New appliances. [Stolen photos from a real Zillow listing] 'I'm relocating for work and need a reliable tenant quickly. I can't show the unit in personRed flag: Legitimate landlords show properties. Inability or refusal to show is a major red flag. but can send more photos and a lease. Send $1,700 (deposit + first month) via Zelle to hold it. Goes fast!'
Rent significantly below market rate for the area
Scammers use below-market pricing to attract victims quickly — check comparable listings on Zillow or Apartments.com
Landlord can't show the property in person
Claims of being out of town, overseas, or 'relocating' are the most common excuse to avoid in-person verification
Deposit or rent demanded before signing a lease or seeing the unit
Never pay money before physically visiting the property and signing a lease with a verified landlord
Payment required via wire transfer, CashApp, Zelle, or money order
Legitimate landlords accept checks or have a property management portal — P2P and wire are non-recoverable
Listing photos look too professional or don't match the description
Reverse-image search the photos on Google Images or TinEye — if they appear on other listings, it's stolen content
Pressure to commit quickly ('many applicants,' 'won't last')
Artificial scarcity to prevent you from verifying the listing or visiting in person
Legitimate landlords and property managers show units in person (or via verified property management company), accept applications through established processes, don't demand payment before you've seen the unit, and use checks or property management payment portals. Real leases are signed in person or through verified digital platforms (DocuSign, etc.).
Scammers steal photos from legitimate listings on Zillow, Realtor.com, or Airbnb. The property is real — the 'landlord' is not. They have no connection to the property and no ability to rent it to you.
Fake leases are trivially easy to create. They may even include real property details and a forged owner signature. A lease document alone proves nothing — verify the landlord's identity and ownership through county records before paying anything.
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