How to spot a rental scam in South Florida

The warning signs

• They want a deposit or "holding fee" before you have been inside.
• They will only take a wire transfer, a gift card or cryptocurrency. The FTC says anyone who demands those is a scammer.
• The rent is far below similar homes nearby.
• The "owner" is out of the country, can't show it, and offers to mail you the keys.
• The same home is listed for sale, or the same address shows up under different names.
• They push you to decide today, before you can check anything.

South Florida has two versions you'll see a lot. One copies a real listing's photos from the MLS with a lower price and a new phone number. The other offers a beach condo for the season and wants the whole winter paid up front, months before you arrive.

Five checks that catch most scams

1. 1

   Step 1: See it in person

   Walk through the home with the owner or their agent before you pay anything. If they can't open the door, there is no deal.

2. 2

   Step 2: Look up the owner

   Search the address on the county property appraiser's site: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin or St. Lucie. The owner's name should match the person or company you're dealing with, or their agent should be able to show they represent that owner.

3. 3

   Step 3: Search the name

   Look up the owner or company name with words like "complaint", "review" or "scam". Search the address too.

4. 4

   Step 4: Get every fee in writing

   Ask for the rent, the deposit and every other fee in writing, and get the lease before you pay.

5. 5

   Step 5: Pay the right way

   Pay only the owner named on the listing or their brokerage, only after you have been inside and have a lease, and never by wire, gift card or crypto.

In a condo, the association office is a quiet ally. Managers know who owns each unit, and they'll tell you whether a lease application has been started.

You can also send us the address with Check a rental. A licensed agent looks up the county owner record and the MLS status and emails you. It's free.

How Rentvana protects you

• Rentvana never asks renters for money.
• Every Checked listing was matched to its owner on the county property record, and the owner showed ID before it went live.
• Photos on Checked listings are checked against other listings, so a copied listing gets caught.
• See something off? Report the listing. A licensed agent reviews every report and emails you what we did.

If you already paid

Call your bank or the payment company right away and ask whether the payment can be stopped or reversed. With wires and app transfers, minutes matter.

Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, to local police and to the website where the ad ran. The FTC also suggests telling your state attorney general, and if the listing was on Rentvana, report it to us. If you sent your Social Security number or a copy of your ID, check your credit reports, which you can pull free every week, for accounts you didn't open.