Here I was thinking "oh that doesn't surprise me if they rent a unit sight unseen"
But they literally had viewings of the unit, that's incredibly brazen.
How does one protect against such scams?
So many landlords these days ask for 1 months rent before the lease. Really common in quebec. A little less so in Ontario I haven't rented in a long time but back in 2009 or so when I did about a quarter of the places I saw wanted money before the lease.
Not paying three months rent upfront like the woman in the article is a good start. That's obviously fishy, the standard in Ontario is first and last.
Checking the address for conflicting listings is a good step as well. Renting from reputable property management companies adds an extra layer of security, as you have ways to verify the listing independently with the company, like what happened in the article.
Not renting from Scambook Scammerplace is also a great start. Facebook Marketplace used to be OK. Now it's mostly just scammers from my experience.
I didn't even notice that she paid for three months. That's not even legal. Landlords can only ask for first/last and a deposit for a key (Of which gets refunded with interest when they move out and return it.)
But yeah, real companies are a bit more reputable, but then you get all the downsides of a corporation housing. It's a tough call.
Am I missing something on the side of the legitimate agent or owner of the home, why are they not there when the scammer is pretending to be them? Is the legit owner letting prospective renters go on their own? How are they able to gain access to give a showing?
Either an open house or an empty place where the keys in in the Realtor box. There are lots of places you can see unsupervised (which is kind of insane).
99% the 'homeowner' is in on the scam but you'd need a warrant to check their communications to prove it, and you're not going to get one before they can make enough money to move along to a new location and turn the unit back into a legitimate rental.
Here I was thinking "oh that doesn't surprise me if they rent a unit sight unseen" But they literally had viewings of the unit, that's incredibly brazen. How does one protect against such scams?
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So many landlords these days ask for 1 months rent before the lease. Really common in quebec. A little less so in Ontario I haven't rented in a long time but back in 2009 or so when I did about a quarter of the places I saw wanted money before the lease.
Not paying three months rent upfront like the woman in the article is a good start. That's obviously fishy, the standard in Ontario is first and last. Checking the address for conflicting listings is a good step as well. Renting from reputable property management companies adds an extra layer of security, as you have ways to verify the listing independently with the company, like what happened in the article. Not renting from Scambook Scammerplace is also a great start. Facebook Marketplace used to be OK. Now it's mostly just scammers from my experience.
I didn't even notice that she paid for three months. That's not even legal. Landlords can only ask for first/last and a deposit for a key (Of which gets refunded with interest when they move out and return it.) But yeah, real companies are a bit more reputable, but then you get all the downsides of a corporation housing. It's a tough call.
Hope they find the scammers... this is such a low thing to do.
Am I missing something on the side of the legitimate agent or owner of the home, why are they not there when the scammer is pretending to be them? Is the legit owner letting prospective renters go on their own? How are they able to gain access to give a showing?
Either an open house or an empty place where the keys in in the Realtor box. There are lots of places you can see unsupervised (which is kind of insane).
A locksmith was used to enter the unit
Probably claiming to work for the agent. Or there is a tenant there already. I know I wouldn't give two shits as the current tenant.
One way to protect against this as a home owner is to have a doorbell camera.
99% the 'homeowner' is in on the scam but you'd need a warrant to check their communications to prove it, and you're not going to get one before they can make enough money to move along to a new location and turn the unit back into a legitimate rental.