Apartment hunters are being advised to steer clear of phony landlords and their demands for up-front payments.
The beginning of spring is high season for apartment hunters. On Thursday, Montreal police issued a statement warning the public about fraud artists posing as landlords, who post fake or dishonest apartment listings, and then demand that prospective renters hand over hundreds of dollars up front as a security deposit, or as first month's rent, before disappearing.
In 2017, 67 similar cases were reported to police.
In their statement, police raised a couple of most likely scenarios: one is where a would-be renter is looking to land a cheap apartment quickly. The phony landlord would say he's out of town, and asks for money to be sent to him electronically as a security deposit. The other is where a phony landlord demands money be wired immediately before meeting the prospective tenant to show the apartment.
In all instances, police say the common thread is that cash is demanded up front — a violation of the Rental Board's guidelines.
Police have some advice for those looking to protect themselves against fraud when looking for apartments:
• Know that landlords can't ask for a deposit up front;
• Make sure the address of the apartment is indicated in the ad;
• Make sure a would-be landlord can be reached by phone, not just by e-mail;
• A Google search of the apartment's address may be able to tell you if others were victims of fraud there;
• A reverse Google Image search on a photo can also indicate whether something's fishy;
• Visit the apartment before signing a lease;
• Meet neighbors, to make sure the apartment is actually for rent, and that the renter is who he says he is;
• And as always, if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.
Police advise anyone who may have been the victim of this kind of fraud to visit their local police station to file a complaint, or phone 9-1-1.