Fake Student Housing Abroad Scam on Facebook Marketplace
Scammers list nonexistent apartments and student rooms near popular study-abroad universities on Facebook Marketplace, collecting deposits from students who can't view the property in person.
Part of: Fake Student Housing Abroad Scam
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
Facebook Marketplace's broad international reach and lack of consistent identity verification make it a common hunting ground for fake student housing abroad listings, particularly because incoming international students genuinely cannot visit a property in person before committing.
How this scam works on Facebook Marketplace
A listing offers a student room or apartment near a popular university at an attractive price, using photos scraped from a real listing or rental site elsewhere, and targets students specifically by mentioning the nearby university or student housing office by name. When the prospective tenant asks to view the property in person or via video call, the 'landlord' claims to be traveling or already abroad themselves, insisting on a deposit and first month's rent be wired or transferred before they'll hand over keys or arrange a viewing, a request a genuine landlord renting to an on-site student wouldn't typically make with this level of urgency.
Because the scam specifically targets students moving to a new country, it exploits their inability to independently verify the property, their unfamiliarity with local rental norms, and the genuine time pressure of needing housing secured before arrival, all of which combine to make the too-good-to-be-true price feel like an acceptable risk rather than an obvious red flag.
Common red flags
- The listed rent is noticeably below comparable student housing near the same university
- The landlord claims to be unavailable for an in-person viewing or live video call
- Payment of a deposit is requested before any lease or viewing takes place
- Photos in the listing can be found elsewhere online through a reverse image search
- The landlord pushes international wire transfer as the only accepted payment method
- Urgency is used to prevent you from independently verifying the property or landlord
How to protect yourself
- Always request a live video call walkthrough of the actual property before sending any money
- Reverse image search listing photos to check if they appear elsewhere online
- Verify the landlord's identity and the property's existence through the university's official housing office
- Never wire a deposit for housing you haven't verified through an independent, real-time viewing
- Ask other students or your university's international student office for recommended, vetted housing options
- Use a payment method that offers dispute protection rather than an irreversible international wire
How to report it
- Report the listing using Facebook Marketplace's in-app Report tool
- Report to your university's international student or housing office, which may track known scam listings
- Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or your local consumer protection authority
- File a complaint with the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov for international wire fraud
Frequently asked questions
How can I verify student housing abroad before arriving?
Request a live video walkthrough, verify the landlord and property through your university's official international housing office, and avoid any deposit request before that verification is complete.
Why do these scams specifically target international students?
International students often can't view a property in person before arrival and face genuine time pressure to secure housing, both of which scammers exploit to push a fast, unverified payment.