Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace Rental Scams to Avoid

What this means

Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace make it easy to find rentals directly from owners, which is exactly why scammers favor them too — anyone can post a listing with little or no verification of who they are or whether they actually control the property. Most listings on both sites are genuine, but it's worth knowing the specific patterns scammers use there.

A common tactic is 'listing hijacking': a scammer copies photos, descriptions, and even the address from a real, currently listed rental (often from a legitimate agent's site) and reposts it at a lower price under a different contact name. Another version involves a property that isn't actually for rent at all — sometimes the real owner has no idea their home's photos are being used. On Facebook Marketplace specifically, watch for brand-new profiles, sellers with few friends or no photos, and conversations that quickly move to a private messaging app.

On both platforms, you can generally protect yourself the same way you would anywhere else: insist on seeing the unit in person or via a live video call with someone who can show you the interior in real time, search the listing photos and text online to check for duplicates, and never send money before signing a lease with a verified landlord or agent. Report suspicious listings to Craigslist or Facebook directly so they can be removed.