Fake rental property advance payment scam — beautiful below-market apartment + landlord overseas / deployed + wire first/last month + security deposit to hold unit + keys mailed after payment + property does not exist or belongs to someone else

Rental property advance-fee fraud — one of the top categories of internet crime targeting renters, particularly those searching in competitive housing markets. Scammers list properties on Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, Facebook Marketplace, or specialized rental sites — often using photos and descriptions stolen from legitimate listings. The "landlord" claims to be overseas (deployed military, missionary, working abroad, oil-rig worker) and unable to show the property in person. To hold the apartment or house, the victim is asked to wire first and last month's rent plus a security deposit before seeing the property. In some variants, a "holding deposit" is required just to schedule a viewing. After payment, the scammer disappears. Key facts: (1) A legitimate landlord never requires advance wire transfer payment before a viewing; (2) Overseas landlords who can't show property in person are an almost universal scam indicator — real landlords have property managers or estate agents for exactly this purpose; (3) Wiring money to a stranger before viewing a property is irreversible — unlike a bank transfer, wire fraud is extremely difficult to reverse; (4) Stolen photos are often identifiable via reverse image search. The FBI IC3 receives thousands of real estate and rental fraud complaints annually. FTC guidance: never wire money to a landlord or agent you haven't met, and always view a property in person before paying any deposit. UK law requires deposits to be held in a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme after move-in — not before.