Rental scams
Where should I report a rental scam?
Updated By the Housing Rocket moderators
Short answer
In the US, report it to the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and your local police, and flag the listing and the profile on the site or group where you found it. These reports help investigators connect cases, and a police report can help when your bank reviews a fraud claim.
- The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov takes reports on all kinds of scams and shares them with law enforcement.
- The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov handles internet crimes, including rental scams where money moved online.
- Your local police, and the police where the property is if that's somewhere else.
- Your state attorney general's consumer protection office, which accepts complaints in many states.
- The platform: report the post and the profile to Facebook, and tell the group's moderators.
Report it even if you didn't lose money. A scammer removed from one group often tries the same listing in the next, and moderators can watch for the same photos or wording.
In Housing Rocket groups, use Facebook's report button on the post or comment and moderators will review it. If the scam reached you by private message, report the profile from Messenger too. Outside the US, report to your national fraud or consumer protection agency.
Want the whole picture? Read How To Avoid Housing Scams.