Nelson Police are warning residents of a rental scam in the community, and to be careful when looking for a rental property.
On Monday, October 21st, a woman reported an elaborate rental scam to the Nelson Police Department.
She said she recently posted an ad stating that she was looking for a rental and was contacted by an individual, who claimed that he lived in Vancouver but had an available rental unit in Nelson. He sent her a web link to the unit on Air BNB, but told her that no one was currently available to show her the suite in person.
Becoming suspicious, the woman called the would-be landlord on the number he had provided her, informed him of her concerns, and, when he became hostile, told him that she planned on reporting him to Air BNB.
Thinking she had seen the last of it, the woman was surprised when she received a phone call a few days later from someone alleging to be an RCMP officer. The “officer” told her that someone had pressed charges against her for fraud and defamation of character, but that it could all be resolved if she contacted the person and resolved the complaint civilly.
When she once again called the supposed landlord, he told her that she had caused his Air BNB account to be blocked and threatened to take her to civil and criminal court to make her pay for his lost income. At this point, the woman ceased communication with him.
She was able to find the real listing for the rental unit on the Air BNB website and informed the owner that it was being used in a scam, and then contacted police.
“We would like to commend this woman for recognizing this as a scam and taking all of the right steps. This sort of fraud is unfortunately common. Always verify that a property exists, that it actually belongs to the person who is offering to rent it out, and, if possible, visit the property in person before exchanging any money.” said Nelson Police Department.
“If you have any suspicion that you are being scammed, stop communication and contact police.”
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