Fake Landlord Scams via Email
Email correspondence from fake landlords follows up on housing inquiries or responds to rental-search forum posts, guiding applicants through a convincing tenancy process that ends with a stolen deposit.
Part of: Fake Landlord Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Email is often the channel used to formalise a fake landlord fraud that began on a classifieds or social platform, but it also serves as a direct outreach channel when scammers harvest email addresses from housing search forums or rental inquiry sites.
The email format is well-suited to sustaining the fraud across multiple steps — sending fake application forms, lease documents, and payment references — in a way that gives victims an extended paper trail that nonetheless proves worthless when the move-in date arrives.
How this scam works on Email
A fraudster responds to an email inquiry a renter posted on a housing search site, claiming to have a suitable property available at a fair price. Over several email exchanges, they build a plausible landlord persona, provide a lease document, and request an application fee and security deposit before the viewing to 'reserve the property'.
The lease document may contain a genuine-looking address, stamped signatures, and a deposit protection reference number — all fabricated. After payment is received, the landlord becomes uncontactable and the renter discovers the property is occupied by someone else or listed nowhere near their claimed address.
In phishing variants, the 'landlord' email leads to a forged application portal that captures the renter's personal and financial information for identity fraud rather than for a rental application.
Common red flags
- Landlord reached out proactively in response to a general housing inquiry post rather than advertising a specific property
- Application form requests copies of passport, financial statements, and card details before any viewing
- Deposit amount must be transferred by wire before a lease is executed
- Lease document includes a deposit protection scheme reference that cannot be verified on the scheme's website
- Landlord has no physical address, phone number, or verifiable business identity
- Landlord uses a free webmail address inconsistent with a professional property management operation
How to protect yourself
- Never submit a deposit before inspecting the property in person and verifying the landlord's identity and ownership
- Verify any deposit protection scheme reference number on the scheme's own website before paying
- Avoid sending copies of your passport or financial documents to a landlord you have not verified in person
- Use reverse-image search on any property photos attached to emails to check for cloned listings
- Consult your national tenants' advisory service if you are unsure whether a rental process is legitimate
How to report it
- Forward the emails to your national consumer protection agency's housing fraud team
- Report to the FBI's IC3 or equivalent national cyber-fraud authority
- Alert the genuine owner of the property if you can identify them — they may be unaware their property is being used in a fraud
Frequently asked questions
A landlord emailed me a professional-looking lease — does that mean they are legitimate?
Lease documents are easy to falsify and are regularly used to add credibility to rental fraud. A professional-looking lease does not verify the landlord's identity or ownership of the property. Always verify these independently through the land registry before signing or paying.