"Is This Listing Real?" How Landlords Can Answer Scam-Wary Renters by Text

"Is This Listing Real?" How Landlords Can Answer Scam-Wary Renters by Text

"Is this still available, or is it a scam?" "Can I see it before I pay anything?" "Who actually owns this building?"

If you list rentals, you've probably had texts like these. They can feel a little insulting when your listing is real. But renters have good reason to ask, and the way you answer decides whether a cautious, qualified renter books a showing or moves on to the next listing.

This guide is for landlords and property managers. It covers why renters are wary, what makes a listing look like a scam, and a short set of text replies that answer the doubt and move the conversation to a showing.

Why renters ask

Rental scams are common enough that the FTC tracks them on their own. In a December 2025 data spotlight, the FTC said people have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams since 2020, with about $65 million in reported losses and a median reported loss of $1,000. The FTC adds that most scams are never reported, so those numbers likely show only a fraction of the harm.

A few more points from the same FTC spotlight matter for landlords:

• Scammers copy real listings. They take the photos and description from a legitimate ad, swap in their own contact details, and repost it somewhere else. The FTC notes that many real landlords report seeing their listings copied this way.
• Facebook and Craigslist come up most. In the 12 months ending June 2025, about half of people who reported a rental scam said it started with a fake ad on Facebook, and another 16% said it started on Craigslist.
• Younger renters are hit hardest. People ages 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money to a rental scam.

So when a renter asks whether your listing is real, they're doing what the FTC tells them to do. Your job is to make that check easy.

What makes a listing look like a scam

The FTC's rental listing scams guide gives renters a list of warning signs. Read it as a landlord and it doubles as a list of things to avoid:

• Money before a showing. Asking for an application fee, deposit, or first month's rent to "hold" a unit before the renter has seen it.
• Only wire transfers, gift cards, or crypto. The FTC says anyone who insists on these payment methods is a scammer.
• No in-person showing. An owner who is "out of the country" or always has an excuse.
• Pressure to decide fast.
• Sensitive information too early. The FTC tells renters that until they've agreed to rent a place, a landlord doesn't need their Social Security number or credit score, and that legitimate landlords normally pull credit themselves rather than asking the renter for a screenshot.
• Rent far below the area. A price that's a lot cheaper than similar rentals nearby.
• The same address listed elsewhere with a different price, owner, or contact, or listed for sale instead of for rent.

If any of your own habits are on that list, like asking for a holding deposit by text before a showing, it's worth changing them. Real or not, they look like the scam.

How to answer: five text replies

Keep each reply short, answer the actual worry, and end with a next step. These are examples. Replace the bracketed parts with your real details.

1. "Is this real or a scam?"

"Fair question, it's smart to check. This is [Your Company], and we manage [address]. You can find this listing on our website at [your site], and you're welcome to see the unit in person before you pay or sign anything. Would [day/time] or [day/time] work for a showing?"

Point to something they can verify that a scammer can't easily fake: your own website, your company name, a listing on your own page.

2. "Can I send a deposit to hold it?"

"Thanks, but we don't take any money before you've seen the unit. After the showing, applications go through [your application process], and the lease is signed before any deposit is due. Want to set up a time to see it?"

A clear, written payment policy is one of the strongest trust signals you have. Say what you do take and when, so the renter can spot an imposter who asks for something different.

3. "Can you send me photos of your ID / prove you own it?"

"Of course. We'll introduce ourselves at the showing, and you can check the owner of record for any Cook County property on the Cook County Assessor's address search. If you saw this listing somewhere other than [where you post], let us know so we can report the copy."

The FTC suggests renters check city or county property records to learn who owns a property. In Chicago, the Cook County Assessor's site lets anyone search by address. Pointing renters there shows you expect to be checked.

4. "I found this same place listed for less."

"Thanks for flagging it. Our only listings are on [your site] and [platforms you use], at $[rent]. The other one isn't ours, so please don't send that poster any money. We'll report it. Would you like to see the unit?"

Copied ads are the most common pattern in the FTC's description. Report the copy to the site where it's posted, and tell the renter where your real listings live.

5. "Can I do a self-tour?"

If you offer self-guided tours, explain how yours work and where the code comes from. The FTC notes that scammers sometimes copy listings from landlords who use self-tour services and send renters a lockbox code to look legitimate, and that scam warnings posted inside homes have helped tip some people off. A short sign inside your units ("We never ask for payment by wire, gift card, or crypto. Our only listings are at [your site].") is cheap and helps.

Make your listings easy to verify

A few habits make every reply above easier:

• Keep one source of truth. List every available unit on your own website or listing page, and mention it in each ad.
• Use the same name and number everywhere. Renters searching your address should find one company, one contact, and one price.
• Write down your payment policy. When you take fees and deposits, how they're paid, and that nothing is due before a showing. Put it in your listings and your auto-replies.
• Don't ask for sensitive information up front. Budget, move-in date, bedrooms, and a showing time are enough for a first text. Collect application details through your normal application process. Our guide to pre-screening Chicago renters by text covers what to ask and what to leave out.
• Search your own address now and then, and report copies to the platform and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Where Sarah AI fits

Sarah AI is a 24/7 SMS assistant for Chicago property managers, landlords, small brokerages, and real estate agents. It answers new inquiry texts about your listings.

For scam-wary renters, a few things are built in:

• It says it's an AI assistant and answers from your listing details in your Google Sheet, not from guesses.
• It never asks for or accepts money. If a renter mentions Venmo, Zelle, a wire, or a deposit link, Sarah tells them: "Please don't send money to anyone before you've seen the unit and signed a lease with the agent." Then it alerts you so a person follows up.
• It doesn't ask for sensitive information. Its qualifying questions are about budget, move-in date, bedrooms, area, and pets. No Social Security numbers, credit scores, or ID photos.
• It moves the renter to a showing, offering times that are open on your Google Calendar and booking the showing there, with reminders by text.

Here's how a cautious first text might go:

Renter: Is the 1BR in Pilsen real? I almost got scammed last month.

Sarah: Sorry that happened. I'm Sarah, an AI assistant for this listing. You can see the unit in person before paying or signing anything. What's your monthly budget, and when are you hoping to move?

Renter: About $1,600, December 1. Can I send a deposit to hold it?

Sarah: Please don't send money to anyone before you've seen the unit and signed a lease with the agent. I can show it Saturday at 11:00 AM or Monday at 5:30 PM. Would either work?

(Example only. The listing, budget, and times are made up.)

What Sarah doesn't do: it doesn't verify identities, run background or credit checks, take applications, or monitor other sites for copies of your listings. That's still on you and your normal process.

See how it works for property managers, landlords, and real estate agents, or read about Sarah in Chicago. Pricing is on the pricing page.

Related reading

• "It's in the listing": answering renters' repeat questions: one reply pattern for every renter
• Pre-screening Chicago renters by text: what to ask before a showing, and what to leave out
• Cutting showing no-shows with confirmation texts: getting booked renters to actually show up

FAQ

How can a landlord prove a rental listing is legitimate?

Give the renter things they can check: your company name, a listing on your own website, one consistent contact number, and an in-person showing before any money changes hands. In Cook County, renters can look up a property's owner of record by address on the Cook County Assessor's website.

Should landlords take a holding deposit before a showing?

It's better not to. The FTC lists pressure to pay an application fee, deposit, or first month's rent to "hold" a unit before seeing it as a common sign of a rental scam. Taking money only after a showing, through your normal application and lease process, keeps you from looking like one.

What payment methods signal a rental scam?

The FTC says anyone who insists on payment only by wire transfer (such as Western Union or MoneyGram), gift cards, or cryptocurrency is a scammer, because those payments work like cash and are hard to get back.

What should I do if someone copies my rental listing?

Report the copied ad to the site where it's posted and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Tell renters where your real listings live, and consider adding a short notice to your listings and units saying you never ask for payment by wire, gift card, or crypto.

Does Sarah AI take deposits or application fees?

No. Sarah never asks for or accepts money. If a renter brings up Venmo, Zelle, a wire, or a deposit link, Sarah warns them not to send money before seeing the unit and signing a lease, and alerts you so a person can follow up.

Book a demo

Getting "is this real?" texts about your listings? Book a demo and we'll walk through a renter's first text, the qualifying questions, a Google Sheet match, and a showing booked on Google Calendar.