How to avoid sublet scams in Ann Arbor
The common student housing scams in Ann Arbor and the exact red flags to watch for — so your UMich sublet search doesn't cost you a deposit.
5 min read · Updated May 21, 2026
Why students get targeted
Student housing is a scammer's dream: urgent timelines, people new to renting, big deposits, and a lot of deals done sight-unseen over the summer. Ann Arbor is no exception — every year UMich students lose deposits to listings that were never real.
The red flags
Almost every scam shares the same tells. If you see these, slow down:
- They want a deposit before you can see the place or meet
- Payment by gift card, crypto, Zelle to a stranger, or wire
- Price is way below everything comparable
- They're "out of town" and can't show it in person
- Pressure to decide right now or "lose it"
- Photos look stolen (reverse-image-search them)
- They dodge a video call or won't verify identity
How to protect yourself
See the place — in person or at least over a live video call where they walk you through it. Verify the person is actually a student. Never pay with anything irreversible; a credit card or an escrow platform gives you recourse, a wire does not. And get the agreement in writing before any money moves.
This is the whole reason Wroomly exists in the shape it does: every user is verified with an @umich.edu email, and payments run through Stripe escrow — the deposit and first month are held and routed through the platform, so there's no "wire me and trust me" step to get burned on.
If you think you've been scammed
Stop sending money immediately. If you paid by credit card, call your bank about a chargeback. Report the listing to wherever you found it and to the FTC. And tell other students — scammers reuse the same listings across Facebook groups and GroupMe every season.