Keys by mail
If you can’t meet the person renting you a home, how do you get in? In this pattern the answer is the mail: once your payment clears, the keys will be shipped. It neatly removes the one moment where you would meet someone face to face.
How it usually goes
- 01An owner who can’t meet
Away for work, family or a mission, or simply “too busy”.
- 02Payment firstMoney moves
Deposit and first month’s rent, by a method that is hard to reverse.
- 03Keys “in the post”
A courier name or tracking number may even be provided.
- 04Delays, then new fees
Customs, insurance or a “delivery deposit” before the keys can be released.
What it sounds like
Once the payment is received I will send you the keys by FedEx the same day. I'm working offshore so I can't meet you, please send the deposit by gift cards or Bitcoin and keep this between us.
Payment pathasks for gift cards
…I can't meet you, please send the deposit by gift cards or Bitcoin and keep this between us.No real landlord or business asks to be paid with gift cards. Once you share the card number and PIN, the money is gone.
Source: Avoiding and Reporting Gift Card ScamsPayment pathasks for cryptocurrency
…you, please send the deposit by gift cards or Bitcoin and keep this between us.The FTC: “Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency.” Crypto payments can’t be reversed.
Source: What To Know About Cryptocurrency and ScamsCheck thiskeys sent by mail or courier
Once the payment is received I will send you the keys by FedEx the same day. I'm working offshore so…Keys “in the mail” after you pay is how a no-show owner explains never meeting you. It is part of the owner-away pattern the FTC describes.
Source: Rental Listing ScamsCheck thisowner is deployed, on a mission or offshore
…the keys by FedEx the same day. I'm working offshore so I can't meet you, please send the deposit…A story that explains why the owner can never meet you is a variant of the “owner out of the country” pattern the FTC describes.
Source: Rental Listing ScamsCheck thiswon’t show the inside
…FedEx the same day. I'm working offshore so I can't meet you, please send the deposit by gift cards or…An excuse for not showing the property is part of the FTC’s description of fake listings. Don’t pay until someone you trust has been inside.
Source: Rental Listing ScamsCheck thisasks you to keep it quiet or skip the agent
…send the deposit by gift cards or Bitcoin and keep this between us.Being steered away from the listed agent or the building office stops you checking with the people who actually manage the home.
Source: Rental Listing ScamsCheck thisnobody you trust has been inside yet
You said · Seen inside: noThe FTC suggests looking at the property before you sign or pay, in person or with someone you know, while noting that even a tour is not a guarantee.
Source: Rental Listing ScamsWhat to do
- Only take keys from someone you can check: a property manager, an agent or an owner you have met and whose identity matches the record.
- Never pay by gift cards, crypto or wire. The FTC says anyone who insists on them is a scammer.
- Don’t pay extra “delivery” or “customs” fees. They are part of the same scam.
- If you paid with a gift card, contact the card company right away using the number on the back.
Why this works, and what is normal
Keys by mail travels with the owner-away story the FTC describes, in which the fake owner claims to be out of the country “or give[s] another excuse for not showing the property.”
Gift cards and crypto, the methods this pattern often uses, are the clearest warning of all. The FTC: “Only scammers will tell you to buy a gift card… and give them the numbers off the back of the card,” and “Only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency.”
Warning signs
- Keys will be mailed or couriered
- Payment is required before you receive them
- Gift cards, crypto or wire
- Extra fees appear after you pay
Paste it into Before-You-Pay. It quotes the triggers from your own text and never sends it anywhere.