Fake rental listing in Vancouver highlights threat of scam
Renters in Vancouver are being warned about a scam involving AirBnb listings being advertised as available to rent on a longer-term basis.
Photos posted to a local Reddit page on Wednesday morning shows a text message exchange between two strangers. One is a woman who says she went to view a rental listing, realized something was wrong and contacted a person she believed lived there.
“I found an ad on Craiglist for your loft $2,300 per month,” the woman writes in a text message, explaining she decided to contact the other person after going to the viewing and seeing their phone number on a building sign. “I left, went to my car, found your place on Airbnb and called non emergency police line.”
The text-message exchange that resulted suggests two women are putting on the viewings, and asking people for a cash deposit to secure the place for Dec. 1. One Reddit user commented that they nearly fell for the scam the night prior, but pushed to speak with the owners and see paperwork.
With rising costs, low vacancy rates, and high demands for both short and long-term rentals across British Columbia, the Better Business Bureau says rental scams account for just over three per cent of all scams reported in B.C.
“We suspect the actual number to be much higher, as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that only five per cent of fraud cases end up being reported,” BBB president Simone Lis wrote in an email to CTV News.
She calls Vancouver’s current market “the perfect storm for scammers looking to deceive any potential tenant who’s simply trying to secure a space for themselves in this ever-growing city.”
Data from the national bureau shows the average amount of money Canadians lost in these scams is $1,230—a near 51-per-cent increase from 2021.
The scam typically consists of people listing someone else’s property that they gained access to through a short-term rental.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.