New analysis from the Federal Trade Commission shows that since 2020, consumers have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams, many originating from fake listings on sites like Facebook and Craigslist, resulting in losses totaling about $65 million.

According to the FTC’s latest Consumer Protection Data Spotlight, rental scams usually involve fake rental listings that often look very real and copy information from legitimate listings, but they're posted on different sites with the scammer’s contact information. 

Many of these ads are found on social media sites. In fact, the FTC found that about half of the people who reported a rental scam in the 12 months ending 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 to a rental scam.

Reports show these scams can take different forms, including:

• Scammers pressure consumers to provide money up front before seeing the rental property in person.
• Scammers push consumers to prove they are creditworthy by sending screenshots of their credit scores. They send consumers affiliate links to websites to sign up for a credit check at a low cost, but this may enroll the consumer in a paid membership with recurring fees.
• Scammers collect personal information from consumers, such as their Social Security number, driver’s license or pay stubs, so they can steal identities.

Some ways to help avoid rental scams include searching for the rental address online to see if the same property is listed at different prices or with different contact information, or if it is listed as “For Sale.”

Consumers should also avoid sharing personal information until they have agreed to rent a property. In addition, consumers should check out typical rents. If the advertised rent of a listing is much cheaper than the rent for similar properties in the same area, that could be a sign of a scam. 

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.