Ghost Listing: NMSU student loses months of savings to fake apartment listing

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) -- With college classes returning this fall, some students scramble to secure an apartment. For one New Mexico State University nursing student, apartment hunting became a financial nightmare.

Marie's parents and friends pressured her to find an apartment before they all filled up. As a first step, she searched "apartments near me." Her mom helped her finance and sign off on an apartment.

Through common rental platforms like Zillow and Apartments.com, Marie eventually found a one-bedroom apartment. She said it was affordable and included all utilities except electricity.

Together, Marie and her mother co-signed the lease, sent $1,800 in rent and deposit payments and started ordering furniture for her new space.

"It all felt super real. We were about to order a bed and get it delivered here the day we were moving in. I had couches ready too," Marie said.

Instead, Marie and her mother fell victim to a rental scam known as a "ghost listing."

Marie's mother told ABC-7 the scammer used the old landlord's name and information on the application. You can see the original leasing documents sent to Marie below.

What's a 'ghost listing?'

A ghost listing appears when scammers take legitimate information and pictures from real estate listings and clone them onto rental websites, social media or classified sites.

Scammers pose as property managers, landlords or out-of-town owners.

Since they don't actually own the property, the listing is a "ghost." It exists on line, but the rental opportunity is fake.

Scammers often create fake digital applications, lease agreements and payment portals. Their goal is to create a sense of urgency to send deposit money or the first month's rent before they have a chance to step inside the unit.

The scam is common in college towns with a high demand for housing.

Marie saw the first red flag right before her move-in date. The person posing as her landlord suddenly demanded hundreds of dollars for a "key fee."

Looking back, Marie said there were other red flags.

"They would call off different numbers from different area codes like New Jersey," she said. "Some even said, 'Scam Likely.'"

Marie said she sent the money electronically to the phone number on the lease.

During one of the calls from a New Jersey number, the caller aggressively addressed Marie about a payment, she said.

“She was all like, 'You sent the money to someone else. Well, we can't refund it. I don't know why you did that,'” Marie said. “As soon as she said that, we knew. Usually when you are renting an apartment, they aren't going to yell at you.”

Marie and her mother drove from Albuquerque to Las Cruces to see the unit. That's when a maintenance worker explained the issue.

He told Marie and her mother that current tenants frequently complain to the landlord about people showing up.

The property's actual owner confirmed he knew about scammers using the property's details online. He expressed frustration over how difficult it is to stop them.

ABC-7 requested an interview with the landlord, but he declined.

"The only thing I know is secondhand. The people that you talk to are the firsthand victims," the landlord told ABC-7. "This has happened several times. People show up to move in, and obviously someone is living there."

The realization hit hard. Marie's first thought went straight to her hard-earned money.

“I was like, 'This cannot be real,'” Marie said. “I saved up all that rent for months.”

Marie said she used Apartments.com to communicate with the individual.

ABC-7 reached out to the platform for an interview. It provided the following statement:

"We are aware that scammers may target renters, including students and first-time renters, and common warning signs can include requests for money before a tour, communication outside of official channels, or individuals falsely claiming to represent a property."

The company said that while it monitors its marketplace and uses fraud detection, scammers continually find ways to bypass security protocols.

Law enforcement said dealing with crimes like ghost listings can be challenging.

"These financial crimes are very difficult to track down," said Las Cruces Police Department spokesman Dan Trujillo.

He said the department received reports of similar rental scams over the years.

Trujillo said victims of rental fraud should not hesitate to report the incident, regardless of how embarrassed they might feel.

"The biggest thing is don't be ashamed, just file the report," Trujillo said. "File all the info: text messages, contracts, any phone numbers you may have; provide it all to police."

While Marie is working to recover from the loss, she hopes sharing her story serves as a warning to protect other students from falling into the same trap.

“I hope they know what they are doing is wrong and how many people they are hurting,” Marie said. “I'm lucky, but a lot of people can't bounce back.”

Marie's mother told ABC-7 that she works three jobs to support Marie's education

"They're targeting hardworking people, not the rich and famous," she said.

Watch "Ghost Listing" Thursday on ABC-7 at 6.