Ottawa police are advising residents to be cautious on Facebook Marketplace and other social media platforms when looking for a rental property.
Staff Sergeant Cameron Graham, with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Fraud Unit, told The Epoch Times in a phone interview that rental scams are becoming more elaborate and difficult to spot.
“We’ve been seeing an increase in the rental scams in which people are somehow getting either into open houses or fraudulently accessing apartments that are for rent and putting them themselves as the agent renting it,” Staff Sgt. Graham said.
One way the scam plays out is with the fraudster calling the agent renting the property and setting up a time to meet under the guise of being interested in renting the home, he said. When a potential victim calls the fraudster from a scam ad, they’re sent to see the property at the arranged time with the fraudster getting access to the property.
“You show up at the rental. The agent shows up. You don’t actually talk to each other ... or exchange identification. And you walk through the house.”
He said the victim then goes away and follows up with the fraudster to rent the property. The victim is directed to send money as a deposit. Only later does the victim realize the person they were talking to does not even own the property.
“The entire idea is to separate you from your money,” said Staff Sgt. Graham.
Social media platforms like Marketplace, Kijiji, and other community listings websites make it easy for scammers to find victims, he said.
“Social media sites that have a trading aspect to it are prone to be targeted by fraudsters,” who add legitimacy to their post by attaching it to a profile that makes it look like the person is on a platform like Facebook.
He said platforms work well for cash transactions, where an individual goes to see the item and pays cash to the person selling it.
Tips to Avoid Being Scammed
Police offer advice for people to avoid becoming a victim of a rental property scam, starting by working with reliable agents to find a place to live.“If you’re going to an agent, and actually having an agent rent an apartment for you, that’s a much more secure way of doing it; just the opportunity on social media opens you up for the chance to be scammed,” Staff Sgt. Graham said.
He also advised home hunters to do some background research if they see a property they like.
“Look at the pictures. You can do a reverse image search on the images. Make sure they’re not from an actual realtor site,” he suggested. “If it is, you call that realtor and say, ‘Hey, is this property still available? I’m interested in renting it.’ They can put you in contact with the correct people to rent it, as opposed to a scammer.”
If you do go to look at a place you found online, confirm who you’re meeting with by asking for identification. Alternatively, you can try to capture the moment with a photo to see if they act suspiciously.
“If there’s resistance to any of that exchange of information, that’s a red flag.”
Other tips include not signing anything before visiting the property and not making advance payments or deposits to secure it. Property owners who say they can’t meet you in person are another red flag.
“When you sign that rental agreement, make sure you’re actually sending the e-transfer to a person who is listed on the property, Staff Sgt. Graham said. “Or give them a cheque that can be cancelled after a number of days, or take some time to transfer to go through the banking system.”
For those who do become victims of fraud, be sure to report it to police.
