University of Waterloo police warn students about potential rental scams
Fake renters or fake property are being used to gather personal and banking information
The University of Waterloo Police Services says students should be conscious of housing rental scams that involve fraudulent renters looking for property to rent and fraudulent properties for rent.
The service said scammers often advertise rentals in preferred locations and ask people to answer a questionnaire to get their personal and banking information.
UW Police Services said there have been instances where renters send scammers the first and last month's rent payments to a property they want to rent only to later find out the property doesn't exist.
They recommend that people review the contract thoroughly and have a friend or family member view it as well. They also recommend to go to view the property to make sure it exists.
Other instances surround scammers who claim they want to rent a property, but have no intention to live there.
The service says scammers may send a form of "overpayment" and ask for additional funds to be sent back to them.
"Never return funds that are 'overpayment'," the UW Police Services said in a release."If this occurs, suggest applying the amount to their next month's rent. Have the money e-transferred to an email address specifically designated for such transactions that do not link to your personal email."
Ashley Dietrich with the The Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) told CBC KW in an email that police have "received reports indicating that rental scams are still occurring within the region."
WRPS and UW Police Services suggest to limit personal and banking information shared with the property owner or renter, as scammers could use that information for other fraud purposes.
WRPS says to contact the ad publisher, file a complaint with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and contact police to make a report if someone has been a victim of a rental scam.
UW Police Services also recommends to keep as much information about the fraud such as documents, receipts and copies of emails or text messages.