Anastasia Zaeits ’day is almost over. In September, he will begin university studies in criminology in Ottawa, thousands of kilometers from his family’s nest. Three months before he left, it graduated from L’Odyssée school in Moncton not yet knowing where he would live.
However, a few weeks before that, she and her roommate thought they had found the perfect apartment. Instead, Anastasia was robbed of $ 1,500 before she even had a chance to look at the residence.
Money the 18-year-old worked hard to save for his first home. I felt frustrated. There are really no words to explain itshe sighed.
A captivating advertisement
It was in a Facebook group dedicated to people looking for an apartment in the Canadian capital that an ad caught their attention.
A three-bedroom apartment, fully furnished and located in a prestigious tower near the University of Ottawa campus, is available for short or long-term rental. It is even more interesting that each room can be rented individually at the price of 750 dollars per month.
His roommate decided to send a message to the person behind the publication to indicate his interest. The alleged landlord informed him that the management of the rental of his residence had been entrusted to a real estate agency. He gave her the company email address and asked her to contact him directly.
Silence on the radio
The real estate agency, which says it is based in Surrey, British Columbia, is asking the two young women to provide them with identification to conduct background checks.
Once this step is completed, they will receive a rental contract that must be signed and accompanied by a bank transfer equal to a security deposit and the rent in the first month, they are told via email.
Despite some lingering doubts, Anastasia agrees to abide by the agency’s terms. He makes them Interac transfer 1500 dollars. But his roommate decided to give it up.
” I’m afraid of missing out on this very good offer, this offer that probably doesn’t happen very often. Then there is also the time that I am forced. In the contract, it said 48 hours. “
For nearly three weeks now, neither the property management company nor the alleged owner has responded to Anastasia’s multiple attempts to contact them.
The virtual visit that was also promised to him on April 30 did not take place.
We tried to contact the real estate agency and the advertiser for explanations, but our requests were unsuccessful.
Among the frequent scams
Merchandise-related scams, which include real estate rental fraud, are regularly entered in the top 10 most commonly reported scams.
By 2021, this type of scam will claim more than 4,000 victims in the country, according to data from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center, with total financial losses of $ 12.3 million.
The federal organization has several partnerships with police agencies across Canada and around the world because, in most cases, the fraudster is located in a region other than the victim.
It provides police forces with information that can advance their investigations into fraudulent activities. It also helps victims get to know them better and protect themselves against further fraud.
To ascertain their potential victims, fraudsters sometimes use legitimate company namessaid Hans Ouellette, media relations officer for RCMP in New Brunswick. It’s really about taking the time, being vigilant.
In the event of financial or personal fraud, the RCMP Victims are recommended to contact their banking institution, the local police department and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center to report the incident.
We ask to call the police also because on the criminal side, we can do an investigation and maybe that can [mener] on arrestexplained Corporal Hans Ouellette.
The Codiac Detachment of RCMP indicates that an investigation was opened following the complaint filed by Anastasia, but no cases have yet been filed.
The future University of Ottawa student is not fooling himself. He knew there was little chance of getting his money back. However, he retained a lesson, never to make a blind transaction.
Source: Radio-Canada
