The rental scam is a type of fraud that involves using a rental property to launder money. Most often, the scammer will purchase a property under someone else's name and then attempt to sell it back to its owner at a much higher price. The owner of the property may be unaware that he or she has been scammed until after the sale has occurred.
The rental scam is a newer type of rental fraud, and it's one that's still relatively rare. In this scheme, you're asked to rent an apartment that usually isn't available for rent.
The scammer rents the place under false pretenses and then demands extra payment in return for keeping the apartment empty. The goal is to get you to pay more than you would have had you known the truth about the property.
The first red flag is when you're asked to pay a security deposit before your lease begins. This is not something that you should do for any property, especially if it's not your own home. If there are no other deposits required and the landlord says he'll let your pet stay there, that's another sign of trouble.
The second big red flag is when there are no photos of the apartment or any information about its location or amenities — only generic pictures or descriptions of other properties in the area with similar features but no mention of yours.
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