Who: The FTC collects reports of fake tenant and background-check scams.
When to use: Use when you paid for a fake screening or lost money.
What to prepare:
- Website or contact
- Amount
- What was promised
FTC ReportFraud~5 min
Category: Housing & rental
Fake background check or tenant-screening scam
How it often plays out
You apply for an apartment and are told to pay for a "background check" or "tenant screening" through a link the "landlord" sent. You pay; the site is fake and the "landlord" is a scammer collecting fees. Real landlords use established screening services and do not ask you to pay through a random link. The "landlord" and the "screening" site are often the same scammer collecting fees—and sometimes your personal data—from many applicants.
How to spot it
Common red flags: pressure to act immediately, requests for payment by gift card or wire, offers that seem too good to be true, or unsolicited requests for your personal or financial details.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Confirm the property and owner through county records or the building.
- Research the screening site; legitimate services are well known.
- Report to the FTC and your state AG.
Don't
- Pay screening fees through links from an unverified landlord.
- Give personal data to a site you cannot verify.
- Assume the "landlord" and "screening" site are separate.
Summary & what to do
Scammers pose as landlords and direct you to fake screening or background-check sites to steal your money and sometimes your personal data. Verify the landlord and use only legitimate screening processes.
What to do right now
- Do not pay screening fees through links from an unverified landlord. Confirm the property and owner through county records or the building.
- Research the screening site; legitimate services are well known and used by many landlords.
- Report to the FTC and your state AG.
Where to report
Who: Your state Attorney General may handle rental and consumer fraud.
When to use: Use to report in your state.
What to prepare:
- What happened