A landlord asked for a deposit before a viewing - is it a scam?
Almost certainly, yes. Legitimate landlords and property managers do not need your money before you've seen the property or signed anything. "Pay a deposit to secure the viewing" - especially by bank transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire service - is the defining move of advance-fee rental fraud. Decline, verify the listing, and report it.
The scripts, so you recognize them
- The absent landlord: "I'm working abroad / in the military; my agent will handle it once you pay the reservation fee."
- The gatekeeper deposit: "Too many time-wasters - a small deposit proves you're serious, refundable at the viewing."
- The courier keys: "I'll ship the keys via a delivery service once the deposit clears."
- The platform imposter: an invoice or escrow page that imitates Airbnb or Booking.com but lives on a different domain.
Each script has the same skeleton: money moves before you can verify anything, through a channel that can't be reversed. The FTC's rental-scam page is blunt about this pattern: never pay someone you haven't met for a property you haven't seen.
What to do instead
- Insist on a viewing - in person or a live video call walking through the property. Pre-recorded videos prove nothing.
- Verify the listing itself: quote-search a distinctive sentence, check the address on street view, and run the URL through our free checker - cloned listings are the usual source of fake-landlord photos.
- Keep all payment inside a real platform's checkout. No exceptions "just this once."
If you already paid
Move fast - recovery is a race:
- Bank transfer: call your bank immediately and request a recall/fraud investigation. Speed matters more than anything else you do.
- Card: dispute the charge as fraud.
- Gift cards / crypto: report to the issuer/exchange; recovery odds are low, which is exactly why scammers choose these rails.
Then file a report: reportfraud.ftc.gov or IC3 (US), Action Fraud (UK). Report the listing on the platform where you found it, and warn others via the BBB Scam Tracker. If you can identify the real property being imitated, tell its manager - they can get the clone taken down and may be gathering evidence from other victims.
Related guides
- Rental scam red flags - the 60-second checklist
- I paid a deposit for a rental that doesn't exist - what now?
- How to check if a vacation rental listing is real
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