Deposit before handing over the keys?

Hello, I have signed a rental agreement starting on March 1st.

The contract states that the first deposit installment must be paid at the start of the rental period, at the latest when the keys are handed over.

Now, however, I've received a separate letter with the key handover date. This will be a few days before March 1st.

It states that the first deposit installment must be transferred before the keys are handed over.

That would be about 650 euros. I can't imagine that scammers would go to so much trouble, including viewing apartments, so much correspondence, etc., just to pocket 650 euros.

But I'm still unsure whether I should transfer anything in advance. I've heard of too many fraudulent cases involving advance transfers. However, in most cases, the entire deposit plus the first month's rent had to be transferred in advance. That's not the case for me.

What would you do? Transfer the money in advance, or should I reschedule the key handover for later, so that March 1st takes effect?

Maybe I could try to negotiate a cash payment in exchange for the keys…

LG Nina