The address was real. The landlord wasn't.

The address was real—I walked past the building and pictured my boxes in the lobby. The person emailing leases did not own it, but seeing brick and glass made the lie feel solid.

They met me outside for "COVID-era" reasons and showed lockbox codes from an old open house. Documents looked tidy enough that I wired a deposit the same evening before the real owner knew my name.

Address-real, owner-fake scams hijack legitimate listings or pose as fake subletters. My money vanished into a personal account while the true resident learned about me only when I knocked with a printed lease.

Seeing the building made me skip deed checks I would have done for a suburban house. I told myself urban rentals move fast, so paranoia would cost me the unit.

County records showed an out-of-state LLC, not the person who had signed my paperwork. That mismatch on a laptop at the library was when the friendly landlord story collapsed.

I stood on a stranger's doorstep with a useless contract and moving costs already spent. Anger pulsed for months every time I passed the block.

I now demand proof of ownership or authorised management before money moves, and I talk to neighbours when something feels rushed. I wish I had knocked on doors before I wired cash.

• Land registry or county records checks save thousands—run them before you pay.

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