If a cheap Craigslist rental listing seems too good to be true — it probably is.

Students looking to move near the CSUN campus on a college budget have been advised to watch out for rental cons on Craigslist. The LAPD Devonshire Division released a crime alert Wednesday for students in search of off-campus housing rentals because of recent fake online advertisements.

A vast majority of the fraudulent ads on Craigslist have been posted by unscrupulous individuals that rent to students yet have no legal connections to the listed property, according to a Facebook post on the CSUN Department of Police Services.

One red flag to look out for on Craigslist is when a “renter” requests to have funds deposited directly into a bank account with an account number scammers provide, according to CSUN PD.

Another strategy of a rental scammer is to promise keys at a later date, according to police. Other questionable reports have ads for empty houses, but students find out the house is being sold to buyers, according to police.

When questioned by police, apartment managers said they have never been advertised on Craigslist and do not know the person renting the property.

Police said caution should be taken in all online rental situations.