{"success":true,"data":{"id":"fake-rental-property-advance-fee-scam","label":"Fake rental property advance-fee scam — below-market apartment/house/room available + owner abroad/overseas/missionary + send deposit/first month rent via Western Union/wire before viewing + keys by mail","description":"Fake rental property advance-fee scam — fraudulent apartment, house, room, or holiday villa listings on Craigslist, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, or Airbnb-lookalike sites, offering below-market rents. The \"landlord\" (actually a scammer who copied a real listing and photographs) claims to be overseas — on a missionary assignment, serving in the military, or working abroad — and therefore cannot show the property. They ask the victim to send the first month's rent, security deposit, or a \"holding fee\" via Western Union, MoneyGram, wire transfer, or PayPal before any viewing or signed tenancy agreement. Once payment is sent, the scammer disappears and the victim discovers the property either doesn't exist or is owned by someone else entirely. Holiday rental variants work identically: victims pay deposits directly to fake \"owners\" instead of through Airbnb or Booking.com. FBI IC3 2024: rental fraud cost Americans $350M. Key rules: never pay before viewing in person, never pay outside an official platform, a landlord who can't meet you is a red flag.","tier":"danger","category":"scam","isThin":false}}