Winkler Police are reminding the public to be cautious when making rental agreements online, after a local woman was scammed out of both her deposit and a place to live.
According to police, the woman reported on May 31 that her “landlord” refused to give her the keys to an apartment, despite her having signed a rental agreement and paid a deposit. Officers determined she had been dealing with a scammer and not the actual property owner.
“We've seen this scam a few times. It's not uncommon,” said Police Chief Ryan Hunt. “The landlord that was on scene… was not the person that she was communicating with via e-mail.”
Hunt explained the woman had found the listing online and never toured the unit in person, saying that scammers often copy legitimate listings and pose as landlords. “They might even take pictures from online that are legitimately posted,” said Hunt. “They’ll present that as the property and that they're the landlord of it, but obviously they're not.”
Hunt urged caution with any online transactions. “There's always risk involved,” he said. “If you're sending money, there's always the risk that you're going to lose it.”