How fake listings and fake landlords take money and documents, what to check before you pay, and where to report if it already happened.
Scammers often target people who have just arrived and need a place fast, and push them to decide quickly. An ad in your own language or from someone from your home country is no guarantee: check it like any other.
Fraud reports go to the City police (NYPD), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the New York State Attorney General.
Start here
- If you already paid or sent documents, report it to the NYPD and to the FTC: at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or by phone at 877-382-4357 (press 3 for an interpreter, Russian included; Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern).
- Do not send money, documents or an application until you have seen the place and checked that the person has the right to rent it.
- If you are told you can pay only by Western Union or MoneyGram, with gift cards or with cryptocurrency, it is a scam.
Common rental scams and how to check them
| What happens | How to check | |
|---|---|---|
| A listing for a place that is not for rent | The rent is surprisingly low; the "owner" says they are abroad and cannot show the place, rushes you, and asks for a wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency for a fee, deposit or first month's rent. | Walk away if you are pressured to decide quickly. If the home is also listed for sale, that is a big red flag. |
| A copied listing | Scammers copy the photos, description or virtual tour of a real listing, put in their own contact details and post it on another site, so a scammer answers when you call or email. | Search the address with the owner's or company's name. Ads for the same address under a different name are a sign of a scam. Check that the company's own website lists the place. |
| A fake "agent" | A person who does not own or manage the place collects money before you see it, often by Western Union, MoneyGram or Green Dot MoneyPak (a prepaid card). Sometimes they deliver a false set of keys. | Never pay in advance or fill out an application before seeing the place. Look up the agent and the address online or with the Better Business Bureau. |
| An application that collects your documents | The "landlord" asks for your Social Security number, a photo of your driver's license, pay stubs and other personal details, then uses them to steal your identity. | Never give personal or financial details to someone who contacts you and says they work with the owner. Use the contacts you already have for the owner or company. |
| A request for credit score screenshots | You are told to prove you are creditworthy by sending screenshots of your credit scores; the real goal is to sign you up for paid credit monitoring with recurring fees. | Landlords pull your credit themselves; they do not ask you to get it for them. |
| A fake email from the housing agency | Emails from addresses that only look like HPD or its contractor Nan McKay ask applicants to pay a deposit before seeing an apartment or to pay to speed up paperwork. | Real HPD emails end in @hpd.nyc.gov or @nanmckay.com. HPD staff do not ask for deposit payments or fees to speed things up, and do not threaten that you will lose an apartment. |
| A "recovery" offer after you were scammed | Someone contacts you, often on social media, saying they can recover your lost money or that they are from the FBI, and sends a link that takes more of your data or money. | The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center never asks for payment, never contacts people on social media or messaging apps, and does not refer people to paid recovery companies. Type www.ic3.gov yourself. |
Compare the price
If the rent is much lower than usual for the area, it may be a scam. If you are rushed to grab a "great deal", walk away.
Search the address and the owner
Search the address with the owner's or company's name. Different owners for one address, or no listing on the company's own website, point to a scam.
Search for complaints
Search the owner's or company's name with the words complaint, review or scam, and see what others say.
See the place and check who is who
Visit in person, send a friend or ask for a live video tour. Ask the agent for a business card from the company that owns or manages the place and check it against their ID. With a private landlord, look up the building on HPD Online (hpdonline.nyc.gov), which shows the owner and managing agent, and check the landlord's ID against those names. Owners of buildings with three or more homes must register with HPD, and so must owners of one- and two-family houses when neither they nor their close family live there; so no record is not by itself proof of a scam, for example when you rent a room from an owner who lives in the house. Even this is not a full guarantee: scammers also copy listings with self-guided tours.
Keep your documents to yourself
Until you have agreed to rent, do not give a Social Security number, credit score or photos of your documents. A real landlord may later ask for a Social Security number or an ITIN for a credit check; give it only after you have seen the place and checked the owner, and never to someone who contacted you first. Do not use contact details sent by someone who says they work with the owner; use the ones you already had.
Pay in a way you can trace
Never pay by wire through Western Union or MoneyGram, with gift cards, with cryptocurrency or with prepaid cards such as Green Dot MoneyPak. You are entitled to a receipt for each payment. The FTC says sending money through Zelle, Cash App or Venmo is like sending cash: it is very hard to get back, so only pay someone whose identity and right to rent the place you have checked.
Check emails from the housing agency
If an email claims to be from HPD, check the address: it should end in @hpd.nyc.gov or @nanmckay.com. If unsure, contact HPD yourself. Applicants to the program named in HPD's alert can write to NYCEHVHELP@nanmckay.com; program participants, to DTRAI@hpd.nyc.gov.
If you already paid or sent documents
File an online report with the NYPD if your case allows it, or go to your local precinct. Call 911 (say "Russian" for an interpreter) only if you are in danger or a crime is happening now. If you paid through an app or your bank, tell them right away. Also report it to the website with the ad, to the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or 877-382-4357, press 3 for an interpreter) and to the New York State Attorney General. Keep screenshots, receipts, messages and the scammer's contact details.
Refuse paid recovery offers
If someone offers to recover your money for a fee, or says they are from the FBI, do not click their links. These messages often come through social media or messaging apps, sometimes with an AI-made video. Report only at www.ic3.gov, typed in yourself.
FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Any statusFree
The federal agency that takes reports of rental listing scams. Without English, call 877-382-4357 and press 3 for an interpreter; Russian is among the languages (Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern). Also report to the police, the website with the ad and the New York State Attorney General.
New York City Police Department (NYPD)
Any statusFree
You can file online (the NYPD says this works for certain report types) or at your local precinct. Call 911 (say "Russian" for an interpreter) only if you are in immediate danger or a crime is in progress. You can report a crime whatever your immigration status. The NYPD's flyer describes the usual pattern: an "agent" who does not own the listing, requests for Western Union, MoneyGram or Green Dot MoneyPak payments, and false keys delivered while the "agent" is supposedly away.
NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)
Any statusFree
DCWP lists rental listing scams among the 10 worst everyday scams: never apply or pay in advance before seeing a place, and never wire money or use a prepaid card. File a complaint or check a business license online at nyc.gov/dcwp.
HPD scam alert
Any statusFree
HPD warns about fake emails to housing voucher applicants and housing seekers asking for a deposit or a fee to speed up paperwork. Real HPD emails end in @hpd.nyc.gov or @nanmckay.com; to check an email, applicants write to NYCEHVHELP@nanmckay.com and program participants to DTRAI@hpd.nyc.gov.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Any statusFree
File internet fraud complaints on the official site www.ic3.gov. Include who contacted you and how, the payment details (date, amount, account numbers) and what happened. IC3 never asks for payment to recover funds. People 60 or older can get help filing from the Department of Justice Elder Justice Hotline. The line helps in languages besides English and Spanish: say "Russian".
NYCHA Inspector General
Any statusFree
NYCHA never charges a fee to apply for public housing or Section 8. If someone posing as NYCHA staff asks for money, report it online to the NYCHA Inspector General at the City's Department of Investigation (nyc.gov/site/doi/contact/online-complaint-form.page), or to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Inspector General with the form at hudoig.gov/report-fraud.
Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP): closed
Any statusFree
The State's ERAP has closed: in August 2026 the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) said its call center had closed and every application had been paid, denied or provisionally approved. Nobody can take a new application, so any offer to help you apply is a warning sign. Report ERAP fraud online to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. OTDA posts answers about the closed program at otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance.
- Wire transfer
- Sending money through a service such as Western Union or MoneyGram. It works like cash: once sent, it is very hard to get back.
- Identity theft
- Using your name, Social Security number or documents to open accounts, borrow money or commit fraud in your name.
- Credit monitoring
- A paid service that watches your credit reports. In the scam, it is what you are really being sold when asked for your credit score.
- FTC
- The Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency that takes fraud reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- IC3
- The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, the federal site for reporting internet fraud (www.ic3.gov).
- NYPD
- The New York City Police Department, the City police.
- ERAP
- The Emergency Rental Assistance Program, a closed New York State program for back rent.
- 311
- The City's information and complaints service. Use it online at portal.311.nyc.gov or in the 311 app; you can also dial 311 in New York City, or 212-639-9675 from elsewhere. Say "Russian" and a free interpreter joins.
- Green Dot MoneyPak
- A prepaid card. DCWP, the City consumer agency, warns never to pay for a rental with a prepaid card like this.
- Better Business Bureau
- A private nonprofit that publishes ratings and complaints about businesses. The NYPD suggests checking listing agents through it.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Sources, checked November 2026
- consumer.ftc.gov/articles/rental-listing-scams
- nyc.gov/site/nypd/services/victim-services/how-to-report-a-cri…
- nyc.gov/site/nycha/eligibility/eligibility.page
- nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/10-worst-everyday-scams.page
- nyc.gov/assets/hpd/downloads/pdfs/services/scam-alert-english.…
- ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260720
- otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance
- nyc.gov/site/doi/contact/online-complaint-form.page
- hudoig.gov/report-fraud