Minneapolis St. Paul, MN, August 4, 2026 —

Eden Prairie Police are alerting residents to a growing trend of rental scams targeting unsuspecting individuals seeking housing. The fraudulent schemes typically involve fake online listings that mimic legitimate advertisements for homes available for rent.

According to the police department’s advisory, scammers are employing tactics such as using stolen photographs of properties currently listed for sale. These images are then repurposed for rental advertisements posted on popular online platforms, including Craigslist and TikTok. A notable element of this scam involves the use of QR codes, which are presented to potential renters for access to properties, ostensibly for self-guided tours.

Victims of this scam have reported financial losses after sending funds, often intended as rental deposits, through peer-to-peer payment services like Zelle and Venmo. These transactions are typically made to individuals posing as landlords or rental agents.

Authorities emphasize that a significant red flag in these fraudulent listings is the advertised rental price. The scam often features rents set at approximately half of the prevailing market rate for comparable properties. This unusually low price point is intended to attract and entice individuals who may be searching for a more affordable housing option.

Residents are urged to exercise extreme caution when searching for rental properties online. Key recommendations include verifying the legitimacy of listings, being wary of prices that seem too good to be true, and avoiding sending money to unknown individuals before physically inspecting a property and signing a formal lease agreement. The Eden Prairie Police Department has not provided specific numbers of victims or total financial losses related to this scam at this time.



Story summarized from the original created by Ashley Halbach on kstp.com, see more information here.

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