Fake Landlord Scam

Fake landlord scams exploit the urgency of the rental market, where desirable properties attract multiple applicants and pressure to commit quickly is high. A fraudster copies genuine property listings from legitimate platforms and reposts them — often at a below-market price to attract responses — using their own contact details. They may claim to be overseas, unable to show the property in person, and insist on payment of a deposit and first month's rent before viewing.

Once money is transferred, the fraudster goes silent, the victim has no access to the property, and the genuine landlord has no knowledge of the situation. Multiple victims may be defrauded simultaneously from the same copied listing. In more elaborate versions, the fraudster rents the property themselves and sublets it fraudulently, granting short-term access before the genuine landlord discovers the situation.

Red flags include prices noticeably below local market rates, inability to view the property in person, landlords based overseas who can only communicate via email, and pressure to pay before any documentation is signed. Any payment before viewing a property and verifying the landlord's right to let it should be avoided.