Finally, you’ve found a rental property to call home.

Where you’ll find comfort, relaxation, and unfortunately, opportunity for scams. Rental scams occur when a scammer tricks you into sending them money. These scams target both new and existing renters, so it’s important to know what to look for.

As a prospective tenant, a scammer may deceive you into submitting a deposit or paying your first month’s rent for a property that’s unavailable or doesn’t exist.

Pay attention to listings without photos or reviews and insist on seeing the property, either in person or via video call, prior to making any rental agreements.

A scammer might also pose as your landlord and instruct you to send rental payments through Zelle® or another direct payment method.

In reality, those payments are being sent straight to the scammer’s account.

When it comes to rental scams, remember to slow down and ask questions.

If you detect suspicious activity, contact our FMB fraud team right away at 920-361-1454.