# Rental scams: how to spot them and what to do Source: https://www.qaravan.org/resources/housing/rental-scams/ 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](https://ReportFraud.ftc.gov) or by phone at [877-382-4357](tel:8773824357) (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. ## How the scams work Common rental scams and how to check them | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ## What to check before you pay 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. Search for complaints Search the owner's or company's name with the words complaint, review or scam, and see what others say. 4. 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](https://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. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. 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. 8. 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](tel: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](https://ReportFraud.ftc.gov), or [877-382-4357](tel:8773824357), press 3 for an interpreter) and to the New York State Attorney General. Keep screenshots, receipts, messages and the scammer's contact details. 9. 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](https://www.ic3.gov), typed in yourself. ## Where to report - FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov Any status Free The federal agency that takes reports of rental listing scams. Without English, call [877-382-4357](tel:8773824357) 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. [877-382-4357](tel:8773824357) (press 3 for an interpreter, Russian included) [consumer.ftc.gov](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/rental-listing-scams) Mon-Fri 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern - New York City Police Department (NYPD) Any status Free You can file online (the NYPD says this works for certain report types) or at your local precinct. Call [911](tel: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. [911](tel:911) (only for immediate danger or a crime in progress) [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/services/victim-services/how-to-report-a-crime.page) 24/7 - NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Any status Free 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](https://nyc.gov/dcwp). [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/10-worst-everyday-scams.page) - HPD scam alert Any status Free 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. [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/hpd/downloads/pdfs/services/scam-alert-english.pdf) - FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Any status Free File internet fraud complaints on the official site [www.ic3.gov](https://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". [1-833-372-8311](tel:18333728311) (Elder Justice Hotline, ages 60 and over) [ic3.gov](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260720) - NYCHA Inspector General Any status Free 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](https://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](https://hudoig.gov/report-fraud). [nyc.gov](https://www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/eligibility/eligibility.page) - Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP): closed Any status Free 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](https://ReportFraud.ftc.gov). OTDA posts answers about the closed program at [otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance](https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance). [otda.ny.gov](https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/) ## Glossary: definitions of special terms and abbreviations - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: - ****: 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. [All pages: Housing](https://www.qaravan.org/resources/housing/) **Sources, checked November 2026** - [consumer.ftc.gov/articles/rental-listing-scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/rental-listing-scams) - [nyc.gov/site/nypd/services/victim-services/how-to-report-a-cri…](https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/services/victim-services/how-to-report-a-crime.page) - [nyc.gov/site/nycha/eligibility/eligibility.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/eligibility/eligibility.page) - [nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/10-worst-everyday-scams.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/10-worst-everyday-scams.page) - [nyc.gov/assets/hpd/downloads/pdfs/services/scam-alert-english.…](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/hpd/downloads/pdfs/services/scam-alert-english.pdf) - [ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260720](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260720) - [otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance](https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/) - [nyc.gov/site/doi/contact/online-complaint-form.page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/doi/contact/online-complaint-form.page) - [hudoig.gov/report-fraud](https://www.hudoig.gov/report-fraud)