Real estate scam: Renee found the rental home of her dreams on Facebook but when she tried to get the keys she knew something was very wrong

A young nurse was scammed after handing over thousands of dollars for what she thought was her dream rental home.

Renee Ngo was desperate for accommodation when she moved to Brisbane last year and began scouring social media to find something that fit her budget.

She thought her prayers had been answered when someone contacted her on Facebook and offered her a fully furnished apartment for just $300 a week.

But it turned out the offer was too good to be true.

Ms Ngo had unwittingly fallen victim to a heartless conman who preyed on struggling tenants trying to find accommodation amid Australia’s national housing crisis.

“She said she was going to mail the keys as soon as possible, so she asked me to pay the deposit and rent first,” Ms Ngo said. 9NEWS.

Fortunately, the $1,500 she paid to the scammer was able to be recovered by her bank.

However, experts have warned that these scams are becoming more common, with the rental vacancy rate remaining near a record low of just 1 per cent.

It is understood that scammers are scraping legitimate listings from real websites and faking adverts to take advantage of unsuspecting tenants.

Real estate agents have reported that tenants have even been left homeless after discovering on “move-in day” that the rental agreement they signed was illegitimate.

To avoid being cheated, renters are asked to request video from inside the home, look for watermarks on images and look for duplicate listings online.

They are also advised to avoid paying the deposit, bail fee or rent in advance, like Ms Ngo.

“I needed the money at that time and I was so stressed,” she said.