Guide Scams and phishing
Rental scams: how to spot a fake listing and what to do if you've already paid a deposit
A great location, rent well below everything else nearby, and a landlord who answers fast. The only catch: you can't see the place right now – tenants, a job abroad, an illness. Just send the deposit and first month's rent and the keys will be posted to you. Police and consumer agencies on both sides of the Atlantic describe the same script. In Prague this January, three would-be tenants lost almost 150,000 Czech crowns between them in a single week. Here's how to spot a fake listing, how to check the landlord, and what to do if the money has gone.
Key points
- Don't pay a deposit or holding fee for a place you haven't seen in person. A video on someone's phone isn't a viewing.
- Check who actually owns the property using public property or tax records, and if someone else is acting for the owner, ask for proof they're authorised.
- Red flags: rent far below the local going rate, an owner who is abroad or can't show the property, pressure to decide fast, requests for wire transfers, gift cards or crypto, and keys sent by courier.
- Already paid? Call your bank or the money transfer company straight away, then report it to the police. Acting quickly is the only real chance of stopping the money.
What the scam looks like
A scammer posts a rental listing – on a property site, a classifieds page or a social media marketplace. The photos are usually copied from another listing and the rent is well below the local going rate. The FTC describes two versions:
- A hijacked listing. The scammer copies a real listing, swaps in their own contact details and reposts it elsewhere. Anyone who gets in touch is talking to the scammer, who collects application fees, deposits or the first month's rent.
- A fake listing. The property isn't for rent or doesn't exist. The "owner" avoids showing it and pushes you to pay quickly.
Czech police describe the same patterns in more detail. One version is the landlord who lives abroad: they say they've inherited the flat or moved overseas, communicate only by email, never meet, ask for the deposit and rent to be sent abroad or through a money transfer service, and promise to post the keys. Another is the landlord who meets you but never shows the flat: in Prague in January 2026, three people in one week paid deposits to a man who showed them only a video of the flat in a café and kept postponing the viewing. Police are prosecuting him for fraud.
Red flags
The FTC and Czech police list the same warning signs. The more of them a listing ticks, the more careful you should be:
- Rent far below what similar places nearby cost.
- No viewing. The owner is out of the country, the tenants won't allow it, or you only get a video.
- Pressure to decide quickly – "lots of people are interested".
- Payment by wire transfer, money transfer service, gift card or crypto. The FTC notes these are essentially like sending cash.
- Keys sent by courier. Czech police point out that keys aren't normally handed over that way.
- Emails "from a well-known booking company" sent from an address that only resembles the company's name.
- Requests for sensitive documents early on – your Social Security number, driver's licence photo, payslips or a screenshot of your credit score before you've agreed to rent.
- Other ads for the same address with a different owner or company name.
How to check a listing before you pay
- Look up the address. Make sure the building exists. Search the address with the owner's or company's name, and check whether the property appears on the letting company's own website (FTC).
- Search for complaints. Look up the owner or company name together with words like "complaint", "review" or "scam" (FTC).
- Confirm ownership. Check public property or tax assessment records and compare the owner's name with the person you're dealing with (FTC, Czech police).
- Insist on an in-person viewing. If you visit with an agent, ask for a business card and check their ID (FTC). Czech police also suggest asking neighbours in the building.
- If someone is acting for the owner, ask for proof. They should be able to show documents authorising them to let the property (Czech police).
- Never pay up front to someone you haven't verified – no holding fees, no deposits by wire, gift card or crypto. For holiday lets, the FTC advises getting the contract before sending any deposit.
Already paid?
- Call your bank or the payment service now. Say it's fraud and ask them to stop or reverse the payment. For card payments, ask about a chargeback – see Scammed by an online shop or seller.
- Report it to the police. Czech police advise bringing proof of payment and all your messages with the fraudster – reporting quickly can help block the money if it hasn't been collected yet.
- Save the evidence. Screenshot the listing before it disappears, and keep emails, messages, phone numbers, the recipient's account details and your receipts.
- Report the listing to the site where it was posted, so it comes down before someone else falls for it.
- Sent copies of your ID? Mention it in your police report and watch for signs of identity theft – step by step in I sent a photo of my ID to a scammer.
- Entered card details on a fake payment page? Follow I entered my details on a scam website.
Where to report it
- You lost money: your bank or payment service, then the police.
- In the US: the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov. The FTC also suggests telling your state attorney general.
- The fake listing: the website or app where it appeared.
Short-term stays have their own version: messages "from the hotel" about a real booking that ask you to verify your card. See Hotel or Booking.com message asks you to verify your card.
FAQ
The landlord met me in person and showed me a video of the flat. Can it still be a scam?
Yes. In February 2026 Prague police described a man who met prospective tenants in cafés and restaurants, showed them a video of the flat on his phone and took a deposit. He kept putting off the viewing because of 'current tenants', and the rental never happened. Meeting someone away from the property proves nothing – what counts is a viewing inside the flat and checking who owns it.
How do I find out who really owns a rental property?
Use the public property records where you live. The FTC suggests checking city or county tax assessment websites in the US; in the Czech Republic the land registry is searchable online for free. Compare the owner's name with the person you're dealing with, and match it against their ID when you sign the lease.
The landlord wants a copy of my ID and payslips before a viewing. Should I send them?
Be careful. The FTC warns that requests for your Social Security number, a photo of your driver's licence or payslips before you've agreed to rent can be a sign of identity theft. Czech police have also described fraudsters reusing ID copies collected from earlier applicants in later scams. Share documents only once you've verified the landlord or agent.
I've sent a deposit. Can I get it back?
It depends on how fast you act and how you paid. Call your bank, card issuer or money transfer company immediately and ask them to stop or reverse the payment, then report it to the police. The FTC points out that wire transfers, gift cards and crypto are like sending cash, which is why scammers ask for them – but reporting quickly still gives the best chance.
The listing links to a 'secure payment' page from a well-known booking company. Is that safe?
Not necessarily. Czech police have described scammers who pretended a well-known accommodation company was handling the deal, using fake emails from look-alike addresses. Check the link in our link checker and don't pay anything until you've seen the place and signed a lease.
Sources
- FTC – Rental Listing Scams (updated June 2026)
- FTC – Report fraud (ReportFraud.ftc.gov)
- FBI – Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Czech Police – Rental flat scams (Prague police, 10 February 2026, in Czech)
- Czech Police – Beware of fraudsters offering flats to rent (Vysočina Region, 16 August 2019, in Czech)
- Czech Police – Fraud on a property portal (Olomouc Region, 1 February 2017, in Czech)
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