Private rental scams a plenty

Checked out the internet for private rentals, they are almost impossible to find, sent enquiries off to a couple from craigslist.com and gumtree.com. One seemed too good to be true, a couple that suddenly had to move to Manchester leaving a fully furnished (including linens and a cleaner) apartment with use of a pool for £300 a week. Of course it was too good to be true and an email reply was recieved asking for the deposit to be paid up front, with no viewing having taken place.
A less obvious one was placed for a flat in Harley Street, the guy was supposed to be in Ireland, and I was to deal with an agent from findaproperty.com, but only after I'd given my full name and address and paid a deposit.
When I asked for his telephone number and repeated a request for a viewing he stopped emailing.
These scams work by them sending you dodgy cheque either for too much money or the difference of what you have sent them and then the cheque is returned unpaid, a nice little earner, but not from us.
The internet was rife with them, nearley everyone I looked at was a scam, private landlords must get their property let some other way, we either need to find a flat by word of mouth, looking for ads in shops or windows or resort to an estate agent. Don't get me wrong, we're perfectly happy to get a new flat through and estate agent it's just we were looking for affordability, and though if the agency fee hadn't already been tallied into the rent we might be able to find somewhere bigger for the same rental as we pay now.
Ha ha.