Harsh Patel confirmed up on move-in day at his Kitchener, Ont. condominium to search out greater than a dozen strangers attempting to do the identical.
Patel, a global pupil at Conestoga Faculty, mentioned he was shocked and confused when he came upon the unit wasn’t actually obtainable for lease.
It was additionally an enormous disappointment to everybody who confirmed up with all of their belongings – solely to be turned away.
“It was around 15 people. The maintenance guy also said to me, before us five or six guys also showed up,” Patel informed . “They were very upset. Some of them were crying.”
Different victims of the rip-off didn’t wish to be interviewed however informed they signed lease agreements and paid their first and final month’s lease, which was $4,000. Some additionally paid a cleansing charge of $350.
Patel feels manipulated as many of the victims have been worldwide college students or immigrants.
“They are taking advantage because we don’t know many stuff about leases and all the things,” he defined.
Patel mentioned the condominium rental was listed on Fb Market. The poster indicated a two-bedroom plus den was obtainable on Chandler Drive.
Screenshot of the fraudulent advert on Fb Market. (Submitted)
When Patel considered the unit on Aug. 15, a person who claimed to be the tenant was there. He mentioned there have been no private belongings within the condominium, despite the fact that the person acknowledged he hadn’t moved out but.
“There was nothing. You need some clothes to live, you need some utensils for your kitchen. There was none of those things,” Patel defined.
He admits that that ought to have been a pink flag.
The victims mentioned they referred to as the girl who claimed to personal the unit however no person answered.
“After eventually calling for like 10 or 12 rounds, she blocked me,” Patel mentioned.
additionally tried to succeed in the alleged condominium proprietor however the name went straight to voicemail.
“Many immigrants came here for different and good lives,” Patel mentioned. “When I came here, I also found out that the lady was from my country as well. So I find it very disrespectful.”
The Chandler Drive condominium constructing in Kitchener, Ont. (Heather Senoran/)
A spokesperson from Greenwin Corp., the constructing administration staff, confirmed the itemizing was a rip-off.
“A number of community members believed they were renting from an individual landlord,” their assertion to mentioned. “That is not connected with the landlord that is exclusively operating the property.”
The Waterloo Regional Police Service are investigating the incident.
Patel, in the meantime, mentioned he doesn’t know the place he’ll go. He’s renting a brand new short-term property however should transfer once more later this month.
On-line rental scams
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) mentioned on-line scams are rising throughout Canada.
In 2023, they obtained over 51,000 complaints.
“715 of those reports are rental scams, and 508 victims lost a total of $820,000,” CAFC’s Nancy Cahill informed .
The CAFC mentioned fraudsters sometimes create labeled advertisements for property leases in best places, usually at under common costs to draw potential victims. Scammers may use reputable photographs from stolen advertisements.
“If you fall victim to the scam, you contact Equifax TransUnion,” Cahill suggested. “If you’ve given any financial information, contact your financial institution and put a fraud alert on your file.”
Recommendations on avoiding rental scams
In line with the Waterloo Regional Police Service, rental scams are more and more concentrating on college students.
They shared the next ideas for renters:
Keep away from verbal agreements. Make sure that the whole lot is documented and you’ve got a duplicate. Schedule a viewing of the property and ensure that the property exists. Use solely financial institution cheques, cash orders or bank cards after a reputable rental settlement is made. When signing the lease settlement, don’t present confidential info, equivalent to Social Insurance coverage Quantity and financial institution info to keep away from identification theft. Use on-line search choices to analysis the property. Be suspicious if there seems to be urgency or strain to get the deal completed rapidly.
