When you’re searching for a rental, here are some tips on how to avoid fraud listings, fake leases, roommate scams, and more. Fraudsters are using real apartment listings and stolen agents’ identities on social media to scam prospective renters into paying fake fees. Watch out for these scams when seeking a NYC rental: Phony apartments, fake brokers, bait and switch listings, demands for cash upfront, and more. Here's how to protect yourself from a rental scam, what to look out for, and the warning signs of a fraudulent rental listing. Browse the largest and most trusted apartment and home rental site with our verified listings, fraud protection technology and real-time property updates. Here’s an example from a scam listing from a supposed apartment owner: “Regarding the process, you will have to deposit the first-month rent + last month's rent to Airbnb so that they can proceed with the shipping of the rental package. If you need a new place to rent this year, here are some things to watch for to determine if a rental listing is a scam and what to do, according to experts. A BBB study of rental scams involving apartments, houses, and vacation properties. Read the full Better Business Bureau study here. Rental Listing Scams When you’re looking for an apartment or vacation rental, you’re probably looking at price, location and amenities. Scammers know that, so they make up fake rental listings they know will grab your attention — and money — before you discover there isn’t a place waiting for you. Search the address online to see if the property is listed for sale by a different real estate agent or if the rental shows different contact information elsewhere, which is a sign that someone is using the property as a scam.