# Rental Scams: How to Verify a Landlord or Tenant by Phone Number

> Rental scams run in both directions: fake landlords taking deposits, and fake tenants with stolen identities or bad checks. The phone number is where most of them first slip up. Reading it well protects you from either side.

Source: https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/rental-scams-verify-phone-number  
Author: Jordan Avery, Head of Content  
Published: 2025-10-21  
Topic: Fraud & Safety  
Publisher: Phone Number Credit Score (https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/)

A rental scam phone number usually gives itself away before any money moves, if you know what to check. The number can tell you whether it's a mobile line, landline or internet (VoIP) number, which carrier serves it now, what caller ID name is attached, and sometimes whose name it's tied to. None of that proves who you're dealing with on its own. Paired with property records and a real in-person showing, it catches most scams on either side of a lease.

And it really is both sides. Renters get hit by fake landlords collecting deposits on homes they don't own. Landlords get hit by fake applicants with borrowed identities and counterfeit checks. The playbook for each is different, so renters and landlords get separate sections below.

## How big the problem is

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center counts rental and timeshare fraud under its "real estate" category. In its [2024 annual report](https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf), real estate fraud accounted for 9,359 complaints and roughly $173 million in reported losses. That only counts people who filed a complaint, and most rental scam victims never do. A lost $1,800 deposit doesn't feel like an FBI matter to most people.

## The scams, briefly

**The hijacked listing.** A scammer copies photos and text from a real listing, reposts it at a lower rent with their own phone number, and collects deposits from people who never see the inside.

**The faraway owner.** The "landlord" is overseas, on a mission trip, caring for a sick parent. They can't show the place, but they'll mail the keys once you send first month's rent and deposit.

**The re-rented short-term rental.** Someone books a home for a week, then "leases" it to several people at once.

**The fake applicant.** Someone applies with a stolen or invented identity, a borrowed phone, and documents that look fine at a glance.

**The overpayment.** An applicant or new tenant "accidentally" sends a check for more than the deposit, asks for the difference back, and the original check bounces after you've sent real money.

## What the first messages give away

Most rental scams are run from scripts, and the scripts leak. Some lines we'd treat as a stop sign, whichever side of the deal you're on:

- "I'm currently out of the country, but my agent can mail you the keys."
- "Lots of people are interested, so the first deposit gets it."
- "Can you pay with a gift card or crypto? My bank account is being updated."
- "Text me at this other number, my phone is acting up." (A switch from one number to another is worth noticing, especially from a listing site's messaging system to a personal text line.)
- From applicants: "My employer is sending a cashier's check for the deposit, can you send the extra to my mover?"
- From applicants: "I can't do a video call, but I'll pay six months up front."

None of these is illegal to say. All of them are designed to get money moving before you've verified anything.

## Checking a rental scam phone number as a renter

### Look up the number before you call it back

Search the phone number in quotes, along with the property address. Scam numbers often show up in other cities' listings or on scam-report forums. Then run a free [carrier lookup](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/phone-number-carrier-lookup) to see the line type. A [VoIP number](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/mobile-vs-landline-vs-voip) isn't proof of fraud (plenty of small landlords use one), but VoIP plus "I can't show it in person" plus "wire the deposit" is the whole scam in three lines. Our post on [spotting burner phone numbers](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/spot-burner-phone-numbers) has more tells.

### Match the caller ID name to the owner of record

Every county keeps property records, usually searchable online through the assessor or recorder's office. Find the owner's name for the address. Does it match the name the "landlord" gave you, or the caller ID name on the number? If the owner is an LLC or a management company, find that company's official website and call the number listed there. Don't use the number from the listing. Caller ID itself can be spoofed, so treat the name on your screen as a clue, not an answer. (Our [CNAM explainer](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/caller-id-name-cnam-explained) covers where those names come from.)

### Insist on seeing the inside

A real landlord or agent will show the unit, in person or at least on a live video call where they walk through it and open a few doors. Pre-recorded video doesn't count. Neither does a lockbox code texted to you after you pay.

### Pay the way legitimate landlords accept money

Wire transfers, gift cards, crypto and payment apps are the scammer's favorites because the money is nearly impossible to get back. Pay after you've seen the place and signed a lease, and use a check or a payment portal tied to the property manager.

A note on our own service, since people ask: a credit lookup needs a permissible purpose under the [Fair Credit Reporting Act](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681b), and checking out a landlord you're considering usually isn't one. The free checks above are the right tools for renters. The CFPB's [fraud and scams resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/fraud/) are a good next stop.

![A tall brick apartment building with wrought-iron balconies against a clear blue sky](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/media/blog/01a1366f-fa5e-7ab5-ab8c-c77a720568cd-1200.webp)

## Checking an applicant as a landlord

Landlords have a cleaner path here, because the applicant is asking you for something and you can ask for their permission in return. That written OK is a permissible purpose, and it lets you see a lot more than a free search will.

### What the number should tell you

With the applicant's consent, a phone number lookup should line up with the person in front of you:

- **The name** tied to the number should match their ID and application. If it doesn't, ask. Family plans and work phones are common. Borrowed phones used for fraud usually come with a vague answer.
- **The current address** on their credit file should make sense with the rental history they gave you.
- **The line type and fraud score** should look like a normal, established phone. A brand-new VoIP number with a high [fraud score](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/phone-number-fraud-score) deserves a second look.
- **The credit file** should look like a real person's history. A file with almost no history attached to a new number is a classic sign of a [synthetic identity](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/synthetic-identity-fraud), meaning a fake person assembled from real and invented pieces.

Phone Number Credit Score returns all of that from the number alone: name, current address, line type, carrier, caller ID name, a fraud score, plus their real FICO® Score 4 and a credit profile summary. It's a soft pull, so the applicant isn't notified and their score doesn't change. Our guide to [identity verification by phone number](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/identity-verification-by-phone-number) goes further into matching.

### Ask for consent in a way that filters scammers

How you ask matters. Something like: "I run a quick soft credit check on every applicant, with their OK. It doesn't affect your score. Can you text me 'yes' from this number?" Real applicants say yes. A scammer using someone else's identity now has a problem: the lookup runs on the number they're texting from, so it comes back with whoever actually owns that line (or no match at all), not the name on the application. Keep that text as your record of consent.

### Meet them, or at least see them

Do a live video call or an in-person showing with a photo ID that matches the application. Applicants who can't do either (always traveling, always overseas, always about to board a plane) fit the same pattern as the fake landlords above, just pointed the other way.

### Never refund an overpayment early

If an applicant sends more than you asked for, wait until the payment has fully cleared, not just "available," and refund only through the same channel it came in. Better yet, return the original payment and ask for the correct amount.

More landlord-side warning signs are in [11 rental application red flags](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/rental-application-red-flags), and our walkthrough on [screening tenants before the showing](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/screen-tenants-before-showing) shows how to fit all of this into your first conversation.

## If something already went wrong

Move fast. Call your bank or payment app and ask them to stop or recall the payment; the first few hours matter most. Report it to local police and to [IC3](https://www.ic3.gov/), and report the listing to the site that hosted it so the next person doesn't find it. Keep every text, email and screenshot.

For landlords, if you denied an applicant because of something in their credit report (including because the identity didn't check out), the FCRA may require an adverse action notice. Our [compliance page](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/compliance) explains the basics, and this isn't legal advice for your specific situation.

Almost every one of these scams pairs a story about why you can't verify with a reason to hurry. When you hear both, slow down and look up the number. It's the first loose thread, and scammers tend to leave it hanging.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a scammer fake the name that shows on caller ID?

Yes. Caller ID can be spoofed, so the name and number on your screen aren't proof of anything. It's more useful to look up the number independently, then call back on a number you found yourself, like the one on a property manager's official website.

### Is a VoIP number always a scam?

No. Lots of real landlords and small property managers use internet phone numbers for their business lines. A VoIP number is a reason to check the other things on this list, not a verdict.

### Can I run a credit lookup on a landlord to see if they're real?

Usually not. A credit lookup needs a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and checking out a landlord you're thinking of renting from typically isn't one. Use property records, the management company's official contact details and an in-person showing instead.

### What should I do if I already paid a scammer?

Call your bank or payment app right away and ask them to stop or reverse the payment. Then report it to local police and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and report the listing to the site where you found it.