The listing had real photos and a real address. How can it be fake?

The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office says scammers may copy legitimate listings and use photos of real homes, and some provide real addresses, applications, or leases copied from legitimate listings. A real address shows the home exists, not that the person advertising it can rent it to you.

The landlord says they live out of town. Is that a problem?

It can be true, but Fort Bend County authorities say excuses for not showing the home, such as living out of town, are part of this pattern. Ask for a tour before you pay anything.

Scam alert

Landlord Won't Show the Home but Wants a Deposit? Walk Away

Posted Oct 19

Fort Bend County, Texas · khou.com · Arrives by a rental listing on social media

The short answer

A landlord who won't show you the home in person but wants an application fee or deposit first is the sign of a fake rental listing. In October 2026, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and Sugar Land Police in Texas said scammers copy real listings and photos, advertise homes on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and TikTok, and collect application fees and deposits for homes that aren't actually available. Search the address on other listing sites, confirm who owns or manages the home, and don't send money to hold a place before you have verified both.

What is happening

On October 15, 2026, KHOU 11 reported that the Sugar Land Police Department and the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office in Texas were cautioning renters about fake property listings on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and TikTok that collect application fees and deposits, sometimes with forged documents to make the listings look legitimate. The same day, Katy Magazine reported that the sheriff's office has seen an increase in rental property scams on Facebook Marketplace affecting Katy residents, in which scammers copy legitimate listings, use photos of real homes, or pose as owners, landlords, or leasing agents. They price homes low, make excuses such as living out of town for not showing them, and ask for an application fee, security deposit, or first month's rent before anyone can see the home.

How to recognize it

The landlord or agent refuses or keeps avoiding an in-person tour, often with an excuse such as living out of town, but wants money now.
The rent is well below what similar homes nearby cost.
You are asked to pay a fee or deposit by Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
The same home appears elsewhere under a different landlord, agent, or price.
You are pushed to sign a lease or send money right away.

What to do instead

Search the address on other listing sites and check that the contact details match.
Confirm that the person offering the home owns it or is authorized to rent or manage it before you pay.
See the home in person with an owner or agent you have verified before any money changes hands.
Do not pay with a gift card, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, or a payment app.
If you want to tell someone, the rule is: no tour, no deposit.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

Paying a deposit on a home that looked real is common and understandable. These listings copy real homes and real paperwork.
Contact your bank, card company, or payment app right away and report the payment as fraud.
Save copies of the messages, payment receipts, and the listing, and report it to local law enforcement, as Fort Bend County authorities advise.
Report the listing to the site or app where you found it, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Open Help Now

Common questions

The listing had real photos and a real address. How can it be fake?: The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office says scammers may copy legitimate listings and use photos of real homes, and some provide real addresses, applications, or leases copied from legitimate listings. A real address shows the home exists, not that the person advertising it can rent it to you.
The landlord says they live out of town. Is that a problem?: It can be true, but Fort Bend County authorities say excuses for not showing the home, such as living out of town, are part of this pattern. Ask for a tour before you pay anything.

Practice this safely

Practice pausing before you pay a stranger online, and checking who really owns or manages a home.

Every story is fictional. There is no timer, no score, and no real message, payment, or account.

Start the four-story practice

Tell someone

Copy a short note you can paste into a text or email. It names the scam, the next step, and this page. Nothing is sent from this site.

Landlord Won't Show the Home but Wants a Deposit? Walk Away

A landlord who won't show you the home in person but wants an application fee or deposit first is the sign of a fake rental listing. In October 2026, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and Sugar Land Police in Texas said scammers copy real listings and photos, advertise homes on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and TikTok, and collect application fees and deposits for homes that aren't actually available. Search the address on other listing sites, confirm who owns or manages the home, and don't send money to hold a place before you have verified both.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/fake-rental-listing-deposit-scam

Where this comes from

These links open the published sources in a new tab. The destination is shown before you open it.

Gift card payment requests

More recent alerts

This alert provides general educational information drawn from the sources above. It cannot determine whether a specific message you received is genuine, investigate an incident, or promise recovery or reimbursement.

Try a practice story (free, no sign-up)