A rental listing on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace looks perfect — landlord wants a bond before viewing
A rental on Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, Domain, or realestate.com.au looks like a great deal. The "landlord" is out of the country and asks for a holding fee before viewing. The property either doesn't belong to them or doesn't exist. Common with international students and first-time renters.
Also known as: fake rental listing scam AU, Gumtree rental fraud, Facebook Marketplace rental scam, share house scam, student accommodation fraud AU
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Never pay any money before viewing the property in person and seeing photo ID of the person letting it to you
- 2 Reverse-image search the listing photos on Google — scam photos usually appear on Domain or realestate.com.au under a different address or as a for-sale listing
- 3 Check the current owner via your state's title office (NSW Land Registry Services, Land Use Victoria, Titles Queensland) if the deposit is significant
- 4 Real bond payments must go to your state's Bond Authority (NSW Rental Bond Board, RTBA in Victoria, RTA in Queensland) — never to the landlord's personal account
- 5 If you've already paid: contact your bank and Scamwatch immediately — PayID and Osko payments can occasionally be recalled within hours
- 6 For students: ask your university accommodation office — they maintain lists of vetted landlords and known scam listings
- 7 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.
Red flags
- ⚠ The rent is noticeably below market for the area — real listings match Domain and realestate.com.au comparables
- ⚠ The photos are professional and identical to a listing on Domain, realestate.com.au, or as a for-sale listing under a different address
- ⚠ The 'landlord' is overseas (mining site, London, work assignment, on a boat) and cannot show the property in person
- ⚠ They ask for a holding fee, key delivery cost, or first month's rent by bank transfer, PayID, or gift card before any viewing
- ⚠ Communication moves quickly to WhatsApp or email — the message tone is often urgent because 'other applicants are interested'
- ⚠ The tenancy agreement is emailed as a PDF and looks generic — no letting agent, no property inventory, no reference check, no NSW/VIC/QLD bond board involvement
Known variants
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'Overseas key delivery' variant: after paying the holding fee, the fake landlord says they'll courier the keys from wherever they are abroad and asks for a $150 international courier fee via Western Union or gift card. Neither the keys nor the property exist.
Last seen: 5/30/2026
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Fake real estate agent variant: scam impersonates a real Australian agency (Ray White, LJ Hooker, McGrath), uses a similar-looking domain, and asks for reservation fees to a personal Wise or Beem It account rather than the agency trust account. Common with international students arriving in February/July.
Last seen: 6/15/2026