How do I report a scam?

As long as you sign your lease and manage your payments on Caretaker, we guarantee that you won’t get scammed. That said, it’s always good to be on the lookout for signs that someone is trying to scam you. If you come across a suspicious user, report them to us right away. Some common signs of a scammer on Caretaker include:

Requesting payment outside of Caretaker. This is the single most important thing to avoid doing. Any payment made on Caretaker is covered by the Caretaker Listing Guarantee, which ensures that you get all of your money back if anything goes wrong with a listing. Payments include security deposits, upfront rent, and rent payments. Payments made outside of Caretaker aren’t covered by the Caretaker Listing Guarantee.

Too good to be true. If a listing is far cheaper than similar alternatives, be extra cautious. Scammers often do this to lure as many possible renters as possible to their listing. In the same vein, they will typically offer very flexible lease terms, payment options, and a long list of amenities. While some listings truly are fantastic, be on your guard if things are over the top.

Taking conversations to email or phone. Scammers will often try to communicate outside of Caretaker, as it makes it harder to track their activity. We understand that email can be convenient, but to stay safe it is best to message over Caretaker.

If you opt in to SMS notifications, we'll send a notification to you via text message anytime you receive a message on Caretaker. If you respond, we'll forward that message back to the other user. You can't see the other user's real phone number, just a virtual phone number that we control. Similarly, the other user can't see your real phone number.

Poor communication skills. Scammers often have limited English skills, resulting in odd punctuation, non-standard capitalization, rambling messages, and calling users “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam”. There are plenty of legitimate users who are not native English users - so don’t panic if that’s the only warning sign - but it’s another factor to be aware of.

Here is an example of a listing we have removed. If you see anyone on Caretaker that you suspect is trying to scam you, report them to us right away.