FTC Analysis Shows that Consumers Have Lost Millions to Rental Scams

(1/13/26)  An analysis released in December 2025 by the Federal Trade Commission found that since 2020, consumers reported nearly 65,000 rental scams, many of which originated from fake listings on sites like Facebook and Craigslist. Losses totaled about $65 million.

These fake listings often look very real. They copy information from legitimate rental listings, but include the scammer’s contact information instead, according to the FTC, and are found on social media sites to lure unsuspecting prospective renters. According to the FTC, about half of people who reported a rental scam in the 12 months ending in June 2025 said the scam originated with a fake ad on Facebook. People ages 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money due to a rental scam.

These scams take several forms:

1.     Consumers being pressured by scammers to provide money upfront before seeing the rental property in person.

2.     Consumers being asked to prove they are creditworthy by supplying screenshots of their credit scores.

3.     Identity theft from prospective renters providing their social security number, driver’s license or paystubs to prove their identity.

How can you avoid being the victim of a rental scam?

1.     Search for the rental address online to see if the same property is listed elsewhere, at a different rent or with different contact information. It might also be listed on another site as a sale.

2.     Don’t share personal information with someone who claims to be a landlord or real-estate agent until you have done your due diligence on the parties involved and have agreed to rent the property.

3.     Check out rents for similar properties. If the advertised rent of a listing is much lower than rents for similar rentals in the same area, that is a red flag.