Many rental scams use real photos copied from a legitimate listing, reposted with a lower rent and the scammer's contact details. You can usually catch them in about 15 minutes: reverse search the photos to find the original listing, look up who actually owns the property in county records, and verify the landlord or agent through sources you find yourself. And never wire a deposit to someone you haven't verified.
Key takeaways
- If a reverse image search finds the same photos on a "for sale" listing, a different rental site, or under a different agent's name, assume the listing has been hijacked.
- County assessor or recorder records show who owns a property. If the "landlord" isn't the owner or a verifiable property manager, stop.
- Verify agents through your state's real estate license lookup and contact the brokerage using the phone number on its own website.
- Never pay a deposit or application fee by wire, gift card, crypto, or payment app before you've verified the landlord and signed a lease.
- Report fake listings to the website, your local police, and the FTC, and let the real agent know their listing was copied.
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How copied-listing rental scams work
The FTC describes two main types of rental listing scams:
- Hijacked listings. A scammer copies the photos, description, and sometimes the virtual tour from a real listing, swaps in their own email or phone number, and reposts it on another site, often at a lower rent. The property is real, which makes the scam convincing.
- Fake listings. The scammer advertises a place that isn't for rent or doesn't exist, typically with an unusually low price or great amenities to draw quick responses.
The goal is usually money (application fees, a security deposit, first month's rent, or a vacation rental payment), but some scams are after your personal information. Rental applications ask for exactly what an identity thief wants: your Social Security number, a photo of your driver's license, and pay stubs. Others push a "credit check" link that signs you up for a paid credit-monitoring service.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded 12,368 real estate fraud complaints in 2025, with about $275 million in reported losses. That category includes rental and timeshare fraud as well as real estate investment schemes, and many rental scam victims never report at all.
Red flags in the listing and the conversation
The FTC lists these warning signs. Any one of them is a reason to slow down and verify:
- The rent is far below what similar places in the neighborhood cost.
- The same address appears in other ads under a different owner, agent, or company name.
- The property isn't listed on the rental or management company's own website.
- The owner is out of the country, a missionary, deployed, or otherwise can't show the unit, and pushes you to decide quickly.
- A home that is listed for sale is being advertised as a rental.
- You're asked for your Social Security number or credit score before you've even seen the place or agreed to rent.
- Payment must be by wire transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
Other common signs: the "landlord" will only communicate by text or email, offers to mail you the keys, or sends a lease full of generic language and no property management company name.
Step 1: Reverse search the listing photos
Because hijacked listings reuse real photos, a reverse image search is often the fastest way to find the original listing and its real contact information.
- Pick distinctive photos. Exterior shots and unusual rooms (a specific kitchen backsplash, a view from a window) work better than generic bedroom photos.
- Search with Google Lens. In Chrome on a computer, right-click the image and choose Search with Google Lens. On google.com, click the camera icon to upload a screenshot. On a phone, screenshot the photo, crop it, and search it from the Google app.
- Search with TinEye. Upload the photo at tineye.com and sort results by Oldest. Listing photos that appeared online months or years before the "new" rental ad were not taken by the person you're talking to.
- Search the address too. Put the full street address in quotation marks into a search engine and check major listing sites. Look for the same unit listed by a different agent, at a different price, or as for sale or recently sold.
- Note the original agent or company. If you find the original listing, that's who to contact, using details from their own website.
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| Same photos on a for-sale or recently sold listing | Very likely a scam. Scammers often copy sale listings because the home is vacant. |
| Same photos under a different agent, company, or price | Likely hijacked. Contact the original lister. |
| Same photos on the management company's own website, same contact details | Reassuring. Continue verifying. |
| No matches | Inconclusive. Private landlords often take their own photos. Move to Steps 2 and 3. |
Step 2: Check who owns the property
In the U.S., property ownership is a public record kept at the county level. The FTC specifically recommends checking county or city tax assessment records for private landlords. Most counties offer a free online search.
- Find the right office. Search for "[county name] property search" or "[county name] assessor parcel search." Depending on the state, the records may be held by the assessor, the recorder or register of deeds, or the treasurer or tax collector. Use the official government site, usually on a .gov domain or a county domain.
- Search by address. The record typically shows the owner's name, the mailing address for tax bills, the parcel number, and sometimes the most recent sale date.
- Compare the name. Does the owner match the person claiming to be the landlord? Ask the "landlord" for their full name and a photo ID, and check it against the record.
- If the owner is an LLC or trust, look up the company in your state's Secretary of State business search to see its registered agent and officers. Ask the landlord to show their connection to it.
- Check the sale date. If the record shows a sale within the last few weeks, or a listing site shows it as for sale right now, be extra careful.
Step 3: Verify the agent or landlord
- Licensed agents and brokers: every state has a real estate commission or licensing board with a public license lookup. ARELLO also offers a license verification search across many North American jurisdictions. Confirm that the person's license is active and note the brokerage it's tied to.
- Call the brokerage or management company yourself. Find its phone number on its official website or a business listing, not in the ad or in an email. Ask whether the unit is available and whether the person you're dealing with works there.
- Private landlords: ask for photo ID and compare it to the county record. Search their name, email, and phone number along with words like "scam," "complaint," or "review," as the FTC suggests.
- See the inside, in person if you can. The FTC notes that a tour alone doesn't prove a listing is real, since scammers sometimes copy self-tour listings or simply know the property is vacant. Combine the tour with the record and identity checks.
- Reverse search their photo. If the landlord's profile photo or ID picture also appears under another name, you're dealing with a fake identity.
For a private landlord with only a name, phone number, or email to go on, free web searches should come first. If those leave you unsure, a paid people-search service such as Social Catfish can look for matching profiles and records, but its results can be incomplete or outdated. It's no substitute for the county record and a direct call to a verified management company. Our guide to vetting online sellers covers similar profile checks.
Step 4: Pay deposits safely
The FTC is blunt: anyone who asks you to pay by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency is a scammer. These payments work like cash and are usually unrecoverable.
- Don't pay before you've verified ownership and signed a lease. "Pay now to hold it" is how most rental scams get paid.
- Pay the company, not a person. Use the management company's tenant portal, or a check made out to the company, and get a receipt.
- Avoid payment apps for strangers. Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App transfers are designed for people you know and are hard to reverse.
- Limit what you share early. Don't send your Social Security number, ID photos, or bank details until you've verified the landlord and decided to apply. If someone asks for your credit score, get it yourself rather than clicking their link.
- Vacation rentals: book and pay inside the booking platform, get a contract before paying a deposit, and confirm the address exists. For a resort, call the front desk directly to confirm.
How to report a rental scam
- If you paid, contact your bank, wire service, or payment app immediately and ask them to stop or reverse the payment.
- Report the listing to the website or app where it was posted so it can be removed.
- Tell the real agent or owner. They can report the copied listing too, and they'll want to warn other renters.
- Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to your state attorney general and local police, as the FTC recommends. Online scams can also be reported to the FBI at ic3.gov.
- If you shared personal information, visit IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan and consider a free credit freeze.
If someone then offers to recover your deposit for a fee, it's another scam. Our guide to recovering after a scam explains how recovery scams work.
Frequently asked questions
The landlord sent me a video tour. Doesn't that prove it's real?
No. Video tours and virtual walkthroughs can be copied from the original listing just like photos. A live video call where the person walks to a spot you choose is better, but you should still check the county ownership record and verify the landlord's identity.
What if the reverse image search finds nothing?
That's common for small private landlords who take their own photos, so it's not a red flag on its own. It just means you need to rely on the other checks: county records, identity verification, an in-person viewing, and safe payment.
The owner on the county record is different from the landlord. Is it a scam?
Not necessarily. Property managers, leasing agents, and relatives often handle rentals. Ask for proof of the relationship, such as a management agreement, and confirm with the management company through its official website. If the person can't or won't provide proof, walk away.
Is an application fee a red flag?
Legitimate landlords and management companies often charge application fees, and some states limit them. The red flag is being asked to pay a fee, deposit, or rent before you've verified who you're dealing with, or being asked to pay it by wire, gift card, crypto, or payment app.
Sources & further reading
- FTC: Rental listing scams
- FTC: What to do if you were scammed
- FBI IC3: 2025 Internet Crime Report (PDF)
- TinEye: How to search and sort results
- Google Search Help: Search with an image
- ARELLO: Real estate license verification
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