Rental scams: verify the request and organize your response

A stranger sends you a rental ad. The photos are yours, but the phone number isn’t. Save what you can see, then check who is behind the listing.

Seeing your home advertised under someone else’s name is unsettling, especially if a prospective renter says they were asked to send money. The FTC describes scams that copy real rental photos or descriptions and replace the contact information. First, though, check whether the ad belongs to an authorized manager or advertising partner. Legitimate listings can appear on several sites.

While you check, keep a short record of what you found. Separate the details you can see from the facts you have confirmed. That makes it easier to explain the problem to a platform and follow up without starting the story again each time.

Save the ad before it changes

Save the exact page URL, platform, listing identifier, visible contact details and date and time observed. Capture the relevant public ad and keep the original files. Avoid opening attachments or following payment instructions from the suspected poster.

Compare the ad with your current listing and any authorized manager or advertising partner. Confirm differences through a contact route you already trust. Record whether the rent, availability, application link or payment request differs; do not rely only on the fact that the photos match.

Give the platform a report it can investigate

Use the platform's own reporting or support route, reached independently. Identify the suspicious URL, the genuine listing and the specific differences you verified. Ask which evidence the platform needs to review the report. Provide ownership or management documents only through its verified protected process when necessary.

A factual report might read: “I manage this rental. The linked ad uses its photos, but the displayed contact and payment instructions are not ours. Our authorized listing is [URL]. Please review the attached dated screenshots and confirm the case number.” Replace the details with your verified facts; do not make claims about who posted the ad when you do not know.

Save the case number and the platform’s response, then set a time to check again. A confirmation that your report was received doesn’t mean the ad has been removed. Reopen the actual listing before recording that part of the incident as resolved.

Help the person who contacted you

Someone who asks about the ad may be worried or embarrassed, particularly if they already paid. Give them your genuine listing and a verified contact route. You don’t need their bank details or identity documents to confirm that the suspicious payment instructions aren’t yours.

The FTC recommends reporting rental scams to the hosting website and local law enforcement, and provides ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If someone says they already paid, direct them to their payment provider's verified fraud process promptly; do not promise a refund or recovery you cannot control.

Check for the result, then keep the record

Keep the original ad and any confirmed reposts on one timeline. If a page becomes unavailable, record the URL and when you checked it; that doesn’t establish that every copy is gone. If someone accessed your own account, follow the service’s recovery process and review who still has access.

Preserve reports and correspondence in a restricted location under your normal retention policy. Avoid publicly reposting a prospective renter's personal information. For ongoing checks, use the cloned-listing guide and share the rental-scam guidance with people who need it.

An unexpected overpayment needs a closer look

A payment that appears in an account is not always final. The FTC's fake-check guidance explains that funds may become available before a bank discovers a check is fraudulent. Be particularly careful when someone sends too much and asks you to return the difference or pay a third party.

For example, a prospective renter says an assistant accidentally paid an extra $640 and requests an immediate refund through a different service. Pause that requested transfer and contact your bank through its established fraud channel. Preserve the payment record and messages. Do not use the sender's screenshot as proof or independently move questionable money to a new destination.

Give people a chance to explain inconsistent records

A name mismatch or an odd-looking pay record deserves a specific question. Explain what doesn’t match and how the applicant can clarify it. Where authorized, verify the information through an independently confirmed source and your usual screening provider. Apply that process consistently; an unfamiliar document alone doesn’t establish dishonesty.

If an unfamiliar person claims authority to rent, sell or enter the property, verify that authority through established records and trusted contacts before releasing access or documents. A convincing signature image or copied identity card does not establish permission. Escalate an apparent ownership-record problem to the appropriate recorder, title professional or attorney; do not try to resolve a possession dispute by changing locks.

Download the listing-response worksheet

Download the blank listing-response worksheet (CSV) to keep the URLs, screenshots, case numbers and follow-up dates together. You’ll still need to check the sites and submit reports yourself. Start with the ad that brought the problem to your attention.