How to Report a Rental Scam: 6 Steps to Take Right Now

To report a rental scam, first stop paying and call your bank or payment app to ask for a reversal. Then save the listing, messages and payment records, flag the listing with the site where you found it, and file reports with your local police, the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Rental scams can get expensive fast, because a fake landlord may ask for an application fee, a deposit and the first month's rent before you ever see the place. If you also sent a copy of your driver's license or your Social Security number, identity theft is a second risk. These scams catch careful people too. At TrustCamera we build a camera app that gives photos a check code at capture. For this plan, we pulled together what the FTC, IC3 and Craigslist say about reporting.

How to report a rental scam: the steps at a glance

The order matters after a rental scam. Stop any further payments and contact your bank or payment app first, since every hour counts when you ask for a reversal. Next, save your evidence, flag the listing with the site that ran it and file official reports. If you shared your ID or Social Security number, protect your identity as well.

1. Stop paying: Don't send more money for "key deposits," holding fees or a second month's rent.
2. Call your bank or payment app: Report the scam and ask them to reverse the payment.
3. Save the evidence: Screenshot the listing, every message and your payment records.
4. Flag the listing: Report it on Craigslist, Zillow, Facebook Marketplace or wherever you found it.
5. File official reports: Tell your local police, the FTC, IC3 and your state attorney general.
6. Protect your identity: Secure your accounts if you shared personal information, and ignore anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee.

Handle steps 1 to 3 right away and the rest the same day if you can. To learn how the common tricks work and how to check a listing before you pay next time, read our guide to rental scams.

Stop paying and call your bank or payment app

Once you realize the rental isn't real or the "landlord" has gone quiet, don't send another cent. According to the FTC's guide to rental listing scams, fake owners usually claim to be out of the country, rush you into a decision and may insist on a wire transfer through Western Union or MoneyGram, gift cards or cryptocurrency. The FTC warns that paying this way is like sending cash: once it's gone, you probably can't get it back.

Ask anyway. The FTC's advice for people who were scammed is to contact the company you used right away. That means your bank or credit union for Zelle or a bank transfer, the app for Venmo, Cash App or PayPal, the wire transfer company for Western Union or MoneyGram, and the exchange or ATM operator for crypto. Tell them a scammer tricked you and ask for a reversal and a refund. If you paid with a gift card, call the card issuer and keep the card and receipt.

Have the date, amount and recipient details ready, and write down who you spoke to and what they promised. Card disputes, PayPal deadlines and the odds for each payment method are covered in our guide for when you've been scammed on Facebook Marketplace. Whether any buyer protection applies to rent or a deposit at all is something to ask your payment provider directly. Save the full conversation before you block the scammer.

Save the evidence before the listing disappears

Your bank, the listing site and the police will all ask for the same details. Save them now, because a deleted listing can't be screenshotted later. Check that your screenshots show the date, and keep copies somewhere other than your phone, for example in an email to yourself.

• The listing: address, rent, photos, description, the link and any listing ID.
• The "landlord": name, phone number, email address and any company name or website they gave you.
• All messages: texts, emails and in-app chats, complete and with dates.
• Your payments: bank statements, transaction IDs, wire transfer receipts or gift card receipts.
• What you sent them: copies of your application, driver's license, pay stubs or any "lease" you signed.

The last point is easy to forget, but it tells you what to protect if your information gets misused. According to IC3's FAQ, IC3 doesn't accept attachments, so keep your original emails and records in a safe place in case an investigating agency asks for them later. A short timeline helps as well: when you found the listing, when you paid and when you last heard from the "landlord."

Report rental scams on Craigslist, Zillow and other listing sites

The FTC says to report a rental listing scam to the website where the ad was posted, not just to the authorities. That gives the site a chance to pull the listing before it reaches the next renter. Don't wait for the site to respond before you call your bank or file your other reports, though.

To report rental scams on Craigslist, use the "flag" button above the posting title, according to Craigslist's help pages. If you suspect a post is connected to a scam, Craigslist also asks you to send it the details through its contact form. For fraud in the US, its help pages point you to the FTC, IC3 and your state attorney general's office, and to your local police if someone you met in person defrauded you.

On Zillow, apartment sites or a property manager's own website, look for a report or flag option on the listing page or in the site's help center. If you found the ad on Facebook Marketplace, the Marketplace guide linked above walks you through reporting the seller and the listing. When the scam involved a vacation rental, report it to the platform you booked through or whose name the scammer used. Our guide to Airbnb scams covers the tricks that are common there.

How to report a rental scammer to police

You can report a rental scammer to police like any other fraud, and the FTC's rental scam guide lists your local law enforcement agency first. Call your police department's non-emergency line or check whether it accepts reports online, and bring your evidence. If you're in danger, call 911.

Ask for a report number or a copy of the report and keep it. Your bank, card issuer or payment app may want it when you dispute a payment, and it helps if your information is misused later. Mention every document you sent the scammer, so the report reflects the identity risk too.

If you met the scammer in person, for example at a fake showing, tell the police where and when, and describe the person and any vehicle while your memory is fresh. IC3's FAQ also says to contact local law enforcement directly if your matter is time sensitive, because any investigation is up to the agencies that receive your complaint.

Report a rental scam to the FTC, IC3 and your state attorney general

Next, file a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. According to the FTC, it uses reports to build cases against scammers, spot trends and educate the public. That makes a report worth filing even if your own money is gone.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center calls itself the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime, from frauds and scams to cybercrime, and asks people to file even if they aren't sure their complaint qualifies. According to IC3, trained analysts review complaints and share information with law enforcement and partner agencies as appropriate. IC3 doesn't investigate cases itself, and it can't give you status updates on your complaint.

Your state attorney general's office is also on the FTC's list of places to report rental listing scams, and Craigslist points US users there too. USA.gov keeps a directory of state attorneys general, where you select your state to find the office. On the office's own website, look for its consumer protection or complaint page.

If you sent your ID, Social Security number or bank details

Rental scammers don't always stop at money. The FTC describes scammers who ask you to fill out an application with your Social Security number, a picture of your driver's license, pay stubs and other personal details, then use that information to steal your identity. Others ask for screenshots of your credit scores to push you into a paid credit monitoring program with recurring fees.

If you gave a scammer your Social Security number and they used it, the FTC says to report it at IdentityTheft.gov, get a customized recovery plan and follow its steps. If it wasn't used or you aren't sure, IdentityTheft.gov has steps to help protect yourself. Gave away a password? Create a new, strong one, change it anywhere you reused it and turn on two-factor authentication.

A credit freeze adds another layer. According to the FTC, a freeze makes it harder for scammers to open new credit accounts in your name, and there's no cost to place or lift one. You contact all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. For a fraud alert, you contact just one bureau, which must tell the other two, and an initial alert lasts one year.

Still apartment hunting? The FTC notes that you can temporarily lift a freeze when you need to rent an apartment and put it back afterward. If you shared bank account details, tell your bank and watch your statements closely.

Watch out for recovery scams after a rental scam

People who just lost money to a rental scam are prime targets for a second one. The FTC warns about refund and recovery scams: someone promises to get your money back, then asks for an upfront fee or your financial information. Scammers even buy and trade lists of people who have already paid scammers.

These callers may claim to be with a government agency, a consumer advocacy group or a law firm. According to the FTC, government agencies and legitimate organizations will never ask for money to help you get a refund, won't ask for your account numbers and won't guarantee that you'll get your money back. IC3 warns on its homepage that scammers impersonate it. It says it will never contact you directly for information or money and doesn't work with law firms or crypto services to recover lost funds.

Scam or landlord dispute? Where other rental problems go

Not every bad rental experience is a scam. If a real landlord keeps your security deposit, skips repairs or charges fees you didn't agree to, that's usually a landlord-tenant dispute, and the rules vary by state. In our view, better first stops are your state attorney general's consumer protection office, your state court's self-help resources, a local legal aid organization or a tenant union. Our guide to security deposit deductions covers what to do when a landlord keeps part of your deposit.

The same reporting routes also work if you're on the other side. If you own or manage a property and find it advertised by someone else, the FTC's advice applies to anyone who notices a rental listing scam: report it to local police, the website where the ad was posted and ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Landlords with questions about a tenant who never meant to pay should talk to a lawyer, since whether that's a crime or a civil matter depends on the facts and on state law.

Next time: see the place in person before you pay

The FTC advises you to look at the property before you sign or pay, if you can. If you meet a rental agent, ask for a business card from the company that owns or manages the place and check that the agent's ID matches. For a private landlord, city or county tax assessment websites show who owns a property.

In our view, an in-person showing with the real landlord or agent is the decisive check, and a live video tour is second best. Even that isn't a guarantee: the FTC notes that some scammers copy listings from landlords who use self-tour services.

Asking for a photo with a note showing your name and today's date used to be a decent test. Current AI image generators can render legible text, though, so that photo no longer proves much. Run a reverse image search on the listing photos too. The FTC says that ads for the same address under a different owner or rental company name are a sign of a scam.

At TrustCamera we're working on a way for honest landlords to show that their photos are current. They take fresh shots in the app and share the check codes with you. You check them right away for free in your browser, without an account, and see that each file hasn't changed since capture, along with the capture time and approximate location (to within about 10 km). The code can't tell you whether the place is really for rent or who owns it, so it doesn't replace a showing.

At move-in and move-out, you can document the unit's condition the same way and hand the codes to your landlord or property manager right at the walkthrough, so they can check them on the spot. Keep your own copies of the photos as well. The code doesn't show whether something was staged or kept out of frame, and it won't settle a dispute. Our move-in inspection guide covers what else to record. The app itself is still in the works and will be out soon for Android and iOS.

Frequently asked questions about reporting a rental scam

Who do you report rental scams to?

The FTC recommends reporting a rental listing scam to your local law enforcement agency, the website where the ad was posted, the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general. You can also file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. If you paid, contact your bank or payment app first, since a reversal is time sensitive.

Can I report a rental scam online?

Yes. You can report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to IC3 online, and flag the listing on the site where you found it. Also check your state attorney general's website for an online complaint option. For a police report, check whether your local department accepts online reports or call its non-emergency line.

Can I get my deposit back from a rental scammer?

Sometimes, but often not. The FTC says to contact your bank, payment app or wire transfer company right away and ask it to reverse the payment. It also warns that money sent by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency is like cash and probably can't be recovered. Report the scam either way, so you have a record.

What should I do if I gave a rental scammer my Social Security number?

If the number was used, the FTC says to report it at IdentityTheft.gov and follow the recovery plan you get there. If you're not sure, IdentityTheft.gov has steps to protect yourself. Consider a free credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, which makes it harder for scammers to open new accounts in your name.

How do I report rental scams on Craigslist?

Use the "flag" button above the posting title. If you think a post is part of a scam, Craigslist asks you to send the details through its contact form as well. Its help pages also point US users to the FTC, IC3 and their state attorney general, and to local police if the fraud happened in person.

Should I keep talking to the scammer?

No. Save the full conversation first, then stop replying and block the contact. Don't send more money, whatever the reason, and don't share any more personal information. Your bank, the listing site and the police can take it from there.

Someone offered to recover my money for a fee. Is that legit?

No. According to the FTC, government agencies and legitimate organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund and never guarantee it. Anyone who wants an upfront fee or your account details to recover your money is running a recovery scam. Report the offer at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Conclusion: report a rental scam fast, then protect yourself

When a rental turns out to be fake, speed matters most. Stop paying, call your bank or payment app and save the evidence before the listing disappears. Then flag the listing, report it to your local police, the FTC, IC3 and your state attorney general, and keep every report number. If you shared your ID or Social Security number, use IdentityTheft.gov and consider a credit freeze.

Expect that the money may be gone, and report anyway: the FTC uses reports to build cases, and flagging the listing protects the next renter. Be wary of anyone who offers to help for a fee. And next time, one rule protects you best: see the place in person and sign a lease before you pay.