Peterborough police are warning the public about a rental scam that is resurfacing in the area.
The Peterborough Police Service has recently received numerous reports about area homes advertised on different websites as being available for rent when in fact they are not.
In the rental scam, fraudsters take a photo from an MLS listing of a actual property for sale and then post it online indicating the property is available for rent. Given the current rental market, a victim may provide the scammer with a security deposit or advance rent payment to secure the property. The victim eventually discovers the supposed rental property is occupied by a homeowner.
Police are providing the following warning signs of a rental scam:
- The landlord doesn’t want to meet you in person.
- The landlord wants you to move in immediately, without ever physically viewing the rental property. They may claim this is because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The landlord insists on an advance rent payment or a security deposit before you sign a lease.
- The rent is “too good to be true”.
- The listing has several spelling errors, poor grammar, or excessive punctuation.
To avoid falling victim to a rental scam, always insist on scheduling a viewing of the property and meeting the landlord in person before signing a lease or paying any upfront fees.
Police are also reminding the public to be careful about how much personal information they provide to a stranger online.
