How to Spot a Rental Scam Before You Send Any Money

By Zach Curtis, licensed agent, Realty Hub, SL3664129. Updated October 18, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Rental scams usually work the same way: a real listing's photos are copied and posted at a low price, and the "landlord" asks for a deposit before you can see the place. In a market with lots of out-of-town owners and seasonal visitors, the story ("I'm traveling, I'll mail the keys") can sound believable. Here is how to protect yourself.

Red flags

• A price far below similar units. Today the lowest asking rent across 2237 live long-term listings in our feed is $1,500 and the median is $2,500. A beachfront 2-bedroom advertised far below the live range deserves suspicion.
• No showing. The owner is "out of the country" and cannot show the unit, or wants money before you see it.
• Payment by wire, gift card, crypto or a cash app to a person, especially before a lease.
• Pressure. "Many people want it; send the deposit today."
• Listing text copied from another site, or the same photos under a different name.
• No lease or a generic lease with names that do not match public records.

Asking rents (not signed leases) from the long-term $1,500 to $6,000 listings in RentedFirst's BeachesMLS feed, calculated when this page loaded. Seasonal and short-term listings are excluded. Updated October 18, 2026.

How to verify a listing

1. See it in person, or on a live video tour with a verified agent who is physically there.
2. Check the owner. County property appraiser records are public: the Broward County Property Appraiser for Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Dania Beach, West Park and Pembroke Park, and the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser for Aventura. The owner's name should match the lease or the listing agreement.
3. Search the photos with a reverse image search to see if the same unit appears elsewhere at a different price.
4. Check the agent's license on the Florida DBPR license search. A licensed agent works for a named brokerage you can call.

Who to pay, and how

• Pay only after you have seen the unit and have a signed lease or written approval.
• Pay the landlord, the listing broker's escrow account, or the closing attorney named in the lease.
• Before any wire, call the brokerage at a number you looked up yourself, not one from the e-mail, and confirm the instructions by voice. Real estate wire fraud often starts with a hacked or look-alike e-mail.
• Keep receipts for every payment.

If you think you were scammed

Contact your bank right away to try to stop or reverse the payment, report it to local police, and file reports with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Report the fake listing to the site where you saw it.

Why MLS listings help

Every listing on RentedFirst comes from BeachesMLS, entered by a licensed listing brokerage, and each card names the listing office. That does not replace your own checks, but it removes the most common scam: the copied ad with a fake owner.

Browse verified MLS rentals: Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Dania Beach, Aventura.

Fair housing: every listing is open to everyone. We describe buildings, prices and processes, never who lives where.

One more rule: never share your Social Security number or bank login before you have verified the listing and the person you are dealing with.

If an offer comes through a social media post or classified ad, ask for the listing's MLS number and the listing brokerage; a real MLS listing will have both.

Frequently asked questions

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