Rental scams and how to check a listing
By the StoryCheck team · 5 min read · Published August 18, 2026
A rental scam does not need a property. It needs photographs, a plausible reason you cannot view it in person, and a deposit paid before anyone meets. In a tight rental market the pressure to move fast is doing most of the work.
The pattern
The unit is priced slightly under the market, which explains the number of applicants and creates urgency. The advertiser is out of the country, or has just relocated for work, and therefore cannot show you around. There is a request for first and last month's rent, or a holding deposit, and a promise that keys will be couriered.
Never send an e-Transfer for a unit you or somebody you trust has not physically stood inside. An e-Transfer is effectively cash and is extremely difficult to recover.
Checks that take five minutes
Reverse image search the listing photos: stolen ones usually appear on a real estate site under a different address or an old sale. Search the address itself and see whether it is advertised elsewhere at a different price by a different person. If a brokerage is named, look it up independently and call the number on its own website.
Checking the person
A number lookup tells you whether the contact number is a real Canadian cell or a VoIP line, and whether it has any history. An email lookup shows whether the domain is a real brokerage or was registered two weeks ago. Neither proves honesty, but a brand new address plus an untraceable line plus a request for money before viewing is a combination worth respecting.
| Check | What good looks like | What should stop you |
|---|---|---|
| Viewing | In person, or someone you trust attends | Any reason viewing is impossible |
| Money before viewing | Nothing paid until you have seen it | First and last, or a holding deposit, up front |
| How they want paying | A documented lease and normal process | An e-Transfer to a personal address |
| The photos | Do not appear elsewhere | Found on a real estate site under another address |
| The price | In line with comparable listings | Noticeably under market, with urgency attached |
| The contact details | An established number and domain | A VoIP line and a domain registered recently |
Common questions
The landlord says they are abroad and will courier the keys. Is that ever real?
Almost never, and it is the single most common line in rental scams. A unit is rented by someone who can arrange access, and a courier is not access.
They asked for first and last month to hold it. Is that normal?
Not before a viewing. A deposit belongs to a signed lease after you have seen the unit, not to holding a listing sight unseen.
I already sent an e-Transfer. What can I do?
Contact your bank immediately, because an e-Transfer is hard to reverse once claimed and speed is everything. Then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and to the site that carried the listing.
Related guides
Find out who is really behind the number
The check is private and takes about 60 seconds. The person is not notified and never finds out you looked.
Check a number now