(Montreal) Some ill-intentioned individuals are taking advantage of the housing crisis raging across the province to line their pockets. Indeed, people looking for a new address are robbed of several hundred dollars by making a deposit for a dwelling that either does not exist or is not really for rent.
The scenario is simple: a fake landlord publishes ads online, on sites such as Kijiji or on social networks, such as Marketplace, offering to rent a home. Once in contact with his potential victim, he asks her, by bank transfer, for a deposit representing the first month’s rent, to reserve the accommodation or simply to visit it. As soon as the transfer is made and the candidate tenant robbed, the false owner vanishes into thin air.
Caution is advised
In Granby, an individual received several unexpected visits from potential tenants for his house… which was not for rent, the daily reported recently. The Voice of the East. Fraudsters had indeed used photos of his residence and even his real address to phish individuals looking for accommodation on social networks.
Fortunately, those interested had not paid the alleged owner of the premises any money before coming to visit the place. In doing so, they were able to discover the pot of roses before being cheated.
This was also the case for Catherine Patry, who could have lost up to $2,000 if she had not been vigilant. The amount represented the first month’s rent and a deposit for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in the Fleurimont district of Sherbrooke.
Mme Patry had been put in contact with a certain Denise after she posted a wanted poster on social media for a house where dogs were accepted.
“It is my son who will drive you to the apartment on the day of the visit and the signing of the lease,” wrote the owner in question, who indicated in an exchange of emails that she was in California for her job. The son in question lived in Rimouski, but was ready to travel to show the apartment.
“You must prepare the Interac transfer before my son leaves Rimouski to come and meet you. […] You will give him the security information when he arrives [sic] in Sherbrooke,” wrote Denise, in the email exchange of which The Canadian Press obtained a copy. The dummy landlord felt that completing the transaction constituted “perfect proof” that Ms.me Patry was a serious and honest person.
The false owner alleged that her son had gone to Sherbrooke the previous week to show his apartment and that the person concerned had not shown up. “I don’t want to deal with internet pranksters [sic] why I decided that way for the payment”, had ironically indicated Denise.
Warned by friends who found the offer too enticing to be true, Mme Patry meanwhile discovered that the house was for sale and that the photos she had received were from the real ad. Confronted by the Sherbrooke resident, Denise told her that she had put her property on the market in view of her difficulty in renting it.
The insistence of M.me Patry wanting to talk to her on the phone and wanting to visit the house before paying a deposit caused Denise to cut off all communication with her. “She always refused to speak to me in person,” says the lady in an interview.
Although she did not lose any money in this story, Mme Patry had her credit rating adversely affected since she had tried to obtain a loan to finance the requested deposit. This story leaves her with a bitter taste and she chose not to move.
Checks are needed
So it’s not just landlords who should check the background of their future tenants: the reverse is also true.
Various police departments in the province are therefore urging tenants to be vigilant, especially since the lease renewal period is in full swing.
On its website, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) indicates that “fraudsters demand from their victims deposits of one or two months’ rent, i.e. sums of $500 to $1,200, depending on the apartments “.
Camille Savoie, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, invites tenants to be careful when communicating with a potential owner online, whether for housing or for the rental of a second home such as a chalet.
“Do not hesitate to inquire about the people who place advertisements. Are they legit? Are they renting a property that actually exists and is actually available? “, she illustrates.
The police also invites Internet users to observe a certain reserve regarding the sharing of their personal information in the context of online transactions.
Under the Civil Code of Quebec, it is illegal for a landlord to require a deposit when signing a lease. A landlord can only require payment of the first month’s rent in advance. This information should put a flea in the ear of several potential victims, who could then smell the scam before being cheated.
This dispatch was produced with financial assistance from the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for News.