A Stowville man has been charged in connection with the Kitchener-Waterloo rental fraud, which police say has defrauded at least 36 people of more than $ 30,000.
Waterloo Regional Police arrested the man on Saturday (April 30th) after investigating false advertisements for rental properties in the region.
For four months between November 2021 and February 2022, false advertisements for rental properties in Kitchener and Waterloo were posted on a buying and selling website, police said in a press release.
The defendant communicates with prospective tenants via email, text, phone and WhatsApp before requesting to sign a lease and send an advance payment via electronic transfer to secure the rent.
In some cases, the poster would be a ghost to the victim, and in other cases, the victim would appear ready to apply just to find out that the lease was invalid.
The 46-year-old man in Stoveville, whom police believe is behind the fraud, is now accused of public fraud, issuing false documents, three personal charges, money laundering, possession of an identity document and possession of a false brand.
THE POLICE WORLD THAT THERE MAY BE MORE VICTIMS
Although a total of 36 victims have been identified as of Sunday (May 1st), police believe there may be others and the investigation is ongoing.
Investigators are encouraging anyone who believes they have been the victim of fraud to get in touch
“We can always seek restitution through litigation,” Melissa Quarry told CTV News.
“So this is one of the ways that victims of these scams can potentially get their money back and also prevent it from happening to other people in our community.”
“Unfortunately, this is not an unusual scam we see in the community and in the countryside,” Quarry said.
She said police were advising potential tenants to verify the identity of the person they were talking to and never send money unless they had been able to see the property in person.
Add Comment