Finding safe, affordable housing is stressful enough. When you’re searching for rental help, housing vouchers, emergency assistance, or low-income apartments, the last thing you need is a scammer standing in the way.

Finding affordable housing or rental assistance can feel urgent and overwhelming. When a “too good to be true” housing program pops up—promising quick approvals, guaranteed apartments, or huge discounts—it can be hard to know what’s real and what’s a scam.

When rent is due, an eviction notice is looming, or a security deposit feels impossible, any offer of help can seem like a lifeline. Scammers know this. Housing scams and fraudulent assistance offers often target people under pressure, hoping urgency will push them to hand over money or personal information.

A notice of foreclosure can feel like the ground has dropped out from under you. In that moment of panic and urgency, offers of “fast help” or “foreclosure rescue” can seem like a lifeline.