I paid. The keys never came. The listing was fake.

I found a rental on a site that looked like other portals: photos, map pin, reasonable rent.

I paid deposit, first month, and an admin fee to “hold” the flat before a job relocation.

They blamed locksmith delays, then a courier problem, then an express key fee.

I sent smaller amounts each time because walking away felt like wasting what I had already paid.

Phantom listing scams collect fees until victims stop; there was no legitimate lease, or the property was never theirs to rent.

The site and inbox eventually went dark.

Between excuses I treated each delay as bad luck rather than a pattern, and I did not reverse-image search the photos early enough.

When the website returned an error and emails bounced, I dropped the pictures into a search engine and found the same kitchen in another city on a legitimate agency page.

We had nowhere to move on the date we promised; explaining that to my partner was as hard as the lost money.

I do not hand over large sums before keys and a signed lease I can verify, or use escrow with a licensed third party.

• Reverse-image search listing photos; refuse endless small unlock fees.
• Report rental fraud to police and platform abuse teams.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.