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Zillow scams

Last updated September 18, 2026

The short answer

Zillow rental scams copy real listings and ask for a deposit before you can see the property. Never send money for a place you have not stood inside. For buyers, the bigger risk is closing wire fraud — always verify wire instructions by phone on a number you already had.

Housing scams have the largest average loss in this wiki after investment fraud, because a deposit and first month's rent is a large sum paid to a stranger under time pressure. Zillow aggregates listings from many sources, which means a fraudulent one can appear alongside genuine ones. For buyers there is a separate and much larger risk: closing wire fraud, where a compromised email redirects an entire down payment.

How Zillow scams work

  1. 1

    Copied listings at below-market rents

    Photographs and details are lifted from a genuine sale or rental listing and reposted at an attractive price. The "landlord" is away and cannot show it.

  2. 2

    Deposit before viewing

    You are asked for a deposit or first month's rent by Zelle, Cash App or wire to hold the property or have keys couriered. Nothing follows.

  3. 3

    Fake application fees

    An application fee or "credit check fee" is collected from many applicants for a property that is not available.

  4. 4

    Closing wire fraud

    For buyers: an email — often from a compromised agent or title company account — sends changed wire instructions for the down payment. Sums are large and recovery is measured in hours.

Warning signs

  • The rent is well below comparable properties
  • The landlord cannot show the property and has a reason why
  • You are asked for a deposit before viewing
  • Payment is requested by Zelle, Cash App, wire or gift card
  • The same photographs appear on other listings
  • Wire instructions arrive or change by email
  • The landlord will not meet, video call, or provide proof of ownership

Examples

Keys by courier

A three-bedroom is listed at $1,400 in an area where nothing is under $2,600. The "owner" is working overseas and offers to courier keys on receipt of first month and deposit — $2,800 by Zelle. The photographs came from a sale listing that closed the previous year. The money is unrecoverable.

The wire that went elsewhere

Two days before closing, a buyer receives updated wire instructions from what appears to be the title company. The account belongs to a fraudster who had been reading the agent's email for weeks. $183,000 goes out. Roughly a third is recovered because the bank was called within four hours.

What to do

  • See the inside of any property before any money moves.
  • Verify ownership in county property records, which are public and free.
  • Never pay a deposit by Zelle, Cash App, wire or gift card.
  • Reverse image search the listing photographs.
  • For a purchase, call the title company on a number you already had to verify wire instructions, every time, even if nothing looks wrong.
  • Report fraudulent listings to Zillow — they remove them quickly.

Report it to Zillow

Report the listing through Zillow support. For closing wire fraud, call your bank first and file at ic3.gov within hours.

Our step-by-step guide: Zillow

Getting your money back

For wire fraud, hours decide everything: call your bank immediately to request a recall and file at ic3.gov, which triggers the FBI Recovery Asset Team — it has recovered a substantial share of wires reported within roughly 72 hours. Also call the receiving bank directly. Rental deposits sent by Zelle or Cash App are rarely recovered; report to local police, because rental fraud is usually a local operator running the same listing repeatedly, and the report is what connects victims into a prosecutable case.

Frequently asked questions

How do I verify a rental listing is genuine?

Look up the address in county property records to confirm who owns it, reverse image search the photographs, search the address to see whether it is listed elsewhere at a different price, and insist on seeing the inside in person. A landlord who cannot show a property should not be receiving your deposit.

What is closing wire fraud and how do I avoid it?

A fraudster with access to an agent's or title company's email sends changed wire instructions for your down payment. Avoid it by calling the title company on a number you obtained independently, before every wire, to read back the account details — and treat any emailed change of instructions as fraud until that call confirms it.

Is a wire transfer ever recoverable?

Sometimes, within hours. The FBI Recovery Asset Team, triggered by a prompt ic3.gov filing, has frozen and returned a significant share of wires reported within about 72 hours. Call your bank first, then file. After a few days the chance drops sharply.

Other companies scammers impersonate

Scams reuse their scripts across brands. If you were contacted about Zillow, these are the guides worth reading next.

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