Yukoners warned not to fall for rental housing scam
Rental deposits sought for properties that are actually for sale
RCMP are warning people looking for rental housing in Whitehorse not to fall for an online scam.
They say ads have been posted for at least three separate properties, but the properties aren't for rent — they're for sale.
The ads used pictures and information for properties listed for sale by Whitehorse real estate agent Terence Tait.
"The ads were being used all over to try and scam people out of a deposit for rental," Tait says.
The fake ads were posted as rental properties on sites such as Craigslist and Kijiji.
The fake ads list an 863 area code, which the RCMP warns is close enough to Yukon's 867 area code to fool unsuspecting rental seekers.
863 is an area code in central Florida.
Police urge renters to be careful
The three properties detected so far include homes in Whitehorse and Marsh Lake, about half an hour south of the city.
Both Tait and the RCMP are urging renters to be careful.
"Never send someone any money to hold the property or do a deposit for a rental unless you've physically been at the place and seen it, or someone obviously you trust has been there," Tait says.
"Because it's just so easy for them to take that first deposit and then disappear."
RCMP is asking anyone who may have been a victim of this type of scam to report it to police.
Based on an interview by Alexandra Byers