A Nanaimo man lost $2,600, but could have lost more before catching onto a rental scam. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

scam alert

Nanaimo man loses $2,600 in rental scam

Jul 22, 2022 | 11:33 AM

NANAIMO — Money wired to a person claiming to have a rental available for a Bowen Rd. home turned out to be a scam.

Nanaimo RCMP say the incident happened in early July when the complainant began communicating with who he thought was the landlord of a home advertised on the real estate website Zillow.

Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien said a person using the name Ginger Reed asked for one months rent upfront, which the complainant obliged by sending $2,600 via e-transfer.

Alarm bells started going off when a further $2,600 was requested in order to obtain the keys.

The second requested payment was not sent, O’Brien said.

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“He got a little suspicious at this point and especially when he went by the place and the house in question looked like it was already occupied — red flags were going off, he contacted us and stopped any communication with this person.”

O’Brien said the recipient for the e-transfer was not the same name as Ginger Reed.

The complainant then confirmed Reed’s name was not on the ownership title of the home and realized he had been ripped off.

A fake out-of-province driver’s licence with the name and picture of Ginger Reed was handed by the victim to Nanaimo RCMP as part of their investigation.

Police contacted a representative with Zillow who removed the fictitious home rental.

These types of crimes are often difficult to solve, O’Brien said.

“But there’s a little bit a paper trail and we’ve got a good investigator on this so we’ll see where we can go with it.”

O’Brien categorized this particular scam as fairly sophisticated.

He stated unfortunately their detachment receives several similar such complaints every year.

O’Brien said university students are favoured targets, who sometimes are disadvantaged by language barriers and are desperate to secure housing prior to September.

“They’re responding to ads site unseen and often live out of town without the opportunity to do the proper research.”

Warning signs/advice from RCMP prior to entering a rental agreement:

– landlord does not meet you in person
– landlord does not require credit or reference check
– landlord’s name is not on rental documents
– There is a different name for the recipient of the e-transfer
– The home is already occupied
– try to identify the landlord’s address
– talk to neighbours of a prospective rental home
– arrange a walk-through of the unit
– be familiar with Residential Tenancy Branch rules

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes