Why seasonal workers are the easiest people to scam
The standard advice on how to avoid rental scams says to tour the place in person and never pay for a unit you haven't seen. That's good advice for someone moving across town. It's close to useless if you're in Ohio, your job at a resort starts in five weeks, and every other new hire is chasing the same twenty rooms on the same Facebook group.
Scammers know that. Their whole approach runs on distance, a deadline, and a renter who can't easily check the place for themselves, and seasonal workers usually face all three. The numbers back it up. In its December 2025 data spotlight, the FTC reported nearly 65,000 rental scams since 2020, about $65 million lost, and a median loss of $1,000. People ages 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money to one. And about half of reported rental scams started with a fake ad on Facebook, with another 16% starting on Craigslist.
It happens in resort towns specifically. In October 2025, 12 to 15 staff at Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia lost more than $15,000 combined in two weeks to fake listings for on-mountain housing. In Juneau, police arrested a woman in 2022 for renting out a property she had no right to rent and taking an $850 deposit on a lease that had no legal standing.
None of this means you should stop looking online. It means you need checks that work from a distance.
The red flags, in the order you'll run into them
The price is too good for the town. Before you start looking, find out what a room actually costs. Ask your employer, read the local paper's housing coverage, and scroll a few weeks of listings. A private room in Big Sky in ski season at half the going rate isn't a lucky find. The FTC's guidance names below-market rent as one of the main signs.
The owner can't show it. "I'm working overseas," "I'm on a mission trip," "my property manager quit." There's always a reason nobody can open the door.
The same place is listed under a different name. Scammers copy real listings and swap in their own contact details. Search the address, and run the listing photos through a reverse image search. If the same kitchen shows up on a property manager's site under a different phone number, you've found the real owner and the fake one.
Pressure to pay today. "Three other people are interested, first deposit gets it." In a tight seasonal market that line can sound believable, which is why it works. The FTC's advice is blunt: if anyone pressures you to decide quickly, walk away.
Money that can't be pulled back. Wire transfers, gift cards, crypto, and payment apps. The FTC specifically names Apple Pay, Cash App, PayPal, and Zelle as risky for rental payments to someone you haven't met, because it's hard to get the money back once it's sent.
The $1 credit check. A newer version sends you a link to "verify your credit score" for a dollar. According to the FTC, that link can sign you up for a paid membership with recurring charges, or earn the scammer an affiliate fee for every renter who signs up.
Asking for your Social Security number up front. A real landlord may run a background or credit check once you're a serious applicant. A fake one wants your SSN, a photo of your driver's license, and your paystubs so they can steal your identity. Don't hand those over until you've confirmed the landlord is real.
How to verify a landlord from 2,000 miles away
You can't tour the place, but you can do more than most people bother to.
Check who actually owns the property
Property ownership is public record almost everywhere. In Juneau, the City and Borough's property search shows the owner of record for any parcel. Montana has a statewide cadastral map that shows ownership for places like Big Sky. For most other towns, search "[county name] assessor property search." If the name on the listing doesn't match the owner, ask why. "I'm the owner's property manager" is a real answer when it comes with a company name you can look up. Juneau police gave the same advice after the 2022 arrest: check the assessor database, and make sure whoever you're dealing with actually has keys and legitimate access.
Get a live video walkthrough, and steer it
Pre-recorded video and photos prove nothing, because scammers steal them. Ask for a live video call from inside the unit and make specific requests: open the fridge, step onto the deck, show the view out the front door, turn on the kitchen faucet. Someone who's actually there can do all of that in two minutes.
Borrow a local's eyes
The FTC suggests having a friend look at the place. You probably don't have one in town yet, but you do have an employer. HR or your future manager usually knows which landlords rent to staff every season and which addresses have come up in past complaints. Returning coworkers know even more. One message to them is the fastest check you'll run.
Put it in writing, then pay the right way
Get a written lease that names the landlord, the address, the rent, the deposit, and the dates before any money moves. Pay by credit card if you can, since the FTC says it gives you the strongest protection. If the landlord insists on a payment app or wire before you have a signed lease and a way to get in, treat that as a scam.
If you already sent money
Move fast, because speed is what gives you any chance of getting it back.
- Call your bank or payment app right away and report the transfer as fraud. Ask whether it can be stopped or reversed.
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
- Report the listing to the site where you found it, so the next person doesn't find it too.
- File a report with local police in the town where the property is listed.
- If you sent ID documents or your SSN, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan, and think about freezing your credit.
You're not the only one this happens to. The FBI reported 9,359 victims and $173.6 million lost to real estate and rental fraud nationwide in 2024. Maine alone accounted for 55 of those victims.
Safer places to start your search
Employer housing isn't always glamorous. Shared rooms and payroll deductions are common, and it's worth asking what's included. But it removes the scam risk entirely, so ask about it before you accept an offer. If you're looking privately, start with listings connected to your town and your job instead of a stranger's post in a regional group. TurnSeasons reviews new housing listings before they go live, which cuts down on obvious fakes. It doesn't replace the checks above, so run them anyway.
If you're still lining up a season, browse seasonal jobs by town and ask about housing at the interview. And if you already have a job in Alaska or Montana, check the housing and job listings for seasonal work in Juneau or Big Sky seasonal jobs and housing before you send a deposit to anyone you found in a Facebook group.