Beware of rental fraud
The moral of this story could be: don’t leave anything in your car that could be used by criminals.
A property manager out of Vernon was broken into his vehicle a few months ago and some of his personal information was stolen, but it wasn’t until this week that he learned how it was being used.
His name was placed in fake advertisements for rental properties.
Treena Carson-Piva posted the warning on social media first. “(He) stole all of our photos, our ad, and put it up for rent,” she told Castanet.
“I got him exposed on social media and he disappeared immediately, but it looks like he’s looking for my people’s identities. He asks for social security numbers, birth dates, IDs and it looks like he’s trying to steal people’s identities, ”she said.
Unfortunately, this comes at a time when the real estate and rental market is very tight and people are desperately looking for an affordable apartment.
Carson-Piva has a few tips for tenants: “We always warn against signing a rental agreement before you’ve seen the property. Whether in person or you can ask for a live 3D or virtual tour when you are out of town. Never give money by email or credit card until you have signed a rental agreement. You do not have to provide your social security number or your personal, private data. “
An RCMP file was opened for the scam, but the property manager, whose identity was cloned, fears that the criminals behind it are simply moving to another city.
