 Most party tips. Depending on where you're looking, finding the right apartment can be difficult. So difficult, you become desperate. It's when you're desperate that you become a target for scammers. To protect yourself, here are some tips for avoiding rental scams. One, always see the apartment before giving money. Scammers like to copy details from legitimate apartment listings and create their own fake listings. These fake listings will typically have rent way below the market. If you see an ad for an apartment that seems too good to be true, it probably is. A red flag for this type of scam is if you contact the landlord and they say, I've had a lot of interest in this apartment. I'll need a deposit immediately if you want to reserve this unit before anyone else. If you send money to a landlord without first seeing the apartment, it is 98% certain that you will never see that money again. Never ever ever give money to a landlord slash property manager without first seeing the apartment and meeting them in person. If a landlord keeps making excuses for why they can't meet in person, you're dealing with a scam artist. Two, always get it in writing. You should also never give money to a landlord without first signing and getting a copy of the lease. Several landlords should have some form of written agreement for you to sign. Never accept a verbal agreement. If a landlord seems reluctant to use a written agreement, then you're dealing with a scam artist. And if you receive a copy of the lease, it is imperative that you read every single word before signing. So again, never give any money to a landlord without first signing and getting a copy of the lease. The only exception to this is an application fee, which brings us to Three, beware of high fees. Reputable landlords should perform a background check before you move in. If a landlord says you can move in without a background check, that's a scam. Background checks, though, aren't free, and your landlord may ask for an application fee to pay for your check. And legally, they can do this. However, at the time of this recording, most application fees should cost between $30 to $60. Any price above that should be viewed with high suspicion. We'll hope you remember these tips when apartment hunting. Remember, anyone can be scammed. I'm Comrade Rourke, and you are the Revolution. Produced in collaboration with Fort Collins Public Media.