HOUSING CRISIS: Woman searching for rental in Kamloops bombarded by scammers
Rita Wiebe is trying to move from Prince George to Kamloops with her husband but in her search for a rental home has come up with nothing but scammers.
She paid for an advertisement on Kijiji looking for a rental for "a newly retired couple” and included her phone number, and within minutes of posting the ad she started receiving calls from scammers.
“I’ve spent a lot of time chasing down fake offers,” she said. “I never had qualms about placing ads before this.”
Wiebe is sharing her experience as a warning to others along with some helpful tips and what to watch out for to help other home hunters who could be potential victims.
“We’re all the same, anyone can be preyed upon, it isn’t just seniors who are vulnerable,” she said. “I hung in there long enough and saw some scary stuff.”
In one scenario, Wiebe was given an address for an available rental in Kamloops but when she Googled the house number she discovered it was listed by a realtor.
“I phoned the realtor and let them know,” she said. “Scammers are just picking people’s listings up off the net.”
In another scenario, a scammer sent Wiebe a prepared document that looked like a legitimate property title with his name on it and sent her a photo of his passport. He was going to send keys for the place so Wiebe talked to him over the phone.
“He said he was an architect in Florida and had to leave Kamloops in a hurry,” she said. “He didn’t have time to leave keys with someone else. I asked if there is someone in Kamloops he’d trust enough to send keys to. He said he’d talk to his wife about it and I never heard back.”
When she Googled the name she discovered he was connected to “some other big scam back East.”
“He was going to send me keys but I knew the next thing he’d do is request I send money first,” Wiebe said. “One scammer said I had to send money before my application would be processed. They sounded skilled, presenting as helpful human beings. It’s dangerous.”
Wiebe has a background in marketing and said none of the calls she has received in response to her ad had a B.C. prefix, they are all coming from American numbers. She has become increasingly assertive in demanding local phone numbers, addresses and contacts be given up front.
“Up until I made these requests they (scammers) went on sounding like I could just go to the rental.”
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Wiebe is not renewing her ad on Kijiji but is still being targeted with phoney calls and what she calls “internet trolls” reaching out through Kijiji. She said the scams could be part of the broader issue of a lack of affordable housing and is concerned to see younger people putting their photos and background information online in their search for housing.
“I think it’s because I showed I was willing to spend money on an ad and money for a rental,” she said. “I know the market is changing and winter is coming on and I kind of think the trolls are targeting Kamloops for that reason because they think the market is hot, praying on desperation and panic. People are putting their identities out there for any kind of trolls to find.”
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Wiebe doesn’t have banking information attached to her phone or email account, otherwise she’d “feel more vulnerable.”
She's concerned the scams are being normalized.
“I’m a people person and I'm finding stories of scams where people are normalizing this, they just endure it and hang up on them. I don’t think it should be dismissed.”
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Wiebe hasn’t found a rental yet but “isn’t in a rush.” She found a couple of options scanning the rental ads and reaching out herself but the timelines didn’t line up.
“I like helping and educating people if there is a good thing to be had out of my experience I prefer to take the lemons and make lemon juice,” she said. “Scams don’t just happen to 'other people' and anyone can be targeted.”
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A post on the Competition Bureau Canada website warns if a rental listing looks too good to be true it probably is. Fraudsters create attractive listings at low prices and post them on popular social media sites using photos from old listings, homes that are for sale or short-term rental sites. Posing as landlords some will claim to be out of the country and therefore can’t show the rental.
After a few emails or text messages, they will start asking for money,” the post reads. “First, they’ll try to get a security deposit, then, they’ll ask for the first month’s rent, and then another month’s rent in exchange for a discount. They can even try to rush you into a decision by saying that others are also interested in the property. Don’t give in. It could be a scam.”
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Some indications a rental offer is a scam is when the rent is lower than other places of similar value or when a deposit is requested prior to a formal rental agreement being put in place. Being asked to send money to someone outside the country is a red flag, as is receiving an email that sends you to a website asking for financial information.
Potential renters can go to the address and make sure the listing is real or use the Internet to find actual images of the unit and schedule a viewing to confirm the landlord will be there. Potential renters should request a lease or contract, thoroughly review it and be knowledgeable on tenant rights.
If you’ve been the victim of a rental scam or another type of fraud, or if you have information about this type of scam, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online here. You can also call the anti-fraud centre at 1-888-495-8501. Calling your local police is also suggested.
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