Marketplace and rental listing scams

The item is underpriced. The apartment is perfect and the owner is “out of town.” They want a deposit by Zelle, Cash App, crypto, or gift cards before you see the place or the product. A real landlord or seller can wait for a normal showing and a normal payment method.

First-hour steps

1. Do not send a deposit you cannot sit and watch land in a local office.

2. Reverse-search the listing photos.

3. Meet in a public, official place. For rentals, verify the owner with the county property record.

4. If you already paid, report it here and to FTC, IC3, and local police.

Note for the builder: this page is for listing fraud. It is not a landlord-tenant complaint desk.