CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The ad said “cozy bungalow”.
Anne Quinn found the Charlottetown home on Enman Crescent through a Google search on Dec. 10.
The owners, Sabrina and John Phila, married for 17 years, were looking to rent it out because they moved to Ottawa with their four children to “preach the gospel”.
Over the next month, Quinn sent them $2,700.
But the Philas don’t own the property.
They don’t exist.
Quinn had been the victim of a rental scam.
“I did nothing but cry and I’m still physically sick because, I mean, I have a lot of bills to pay and now I have no money.”
The scam
Though not for rent, the property is for sale. The scammers used the pictures and description from the real listing for their fake ad.
Quinn talked with the Philas over text, email and phone about the rental.
They sent her a lease with the proper-sounding legal language for such a document and a lawyer's signature. They even sent a picture of their family, said Quinn.
“It looked so freaking legitimate it’s not even funny and right now it’s about the farthest from funny you can get because I am just devastated.”
First, she sent a $1,000 refundable security deposit, then first month’s rent — another $1,200.
Last, Quinn sent them $500 for a homeowners association fee the scammers said they couldn’t cover and needed to be paid before she could legally move in.
They explained the for sale sign by saying they weren’t working with the realtor anymore and it was going to be taken down and said Quinn was welcome to go look around the house, though no one would be able to let her in.
When she viewed the property, she saw an unlocked shed and asked the Philas if she could store some belongings there. Sure, they said.
By Friday, Quinn had enough waiting and called the realtor's number on the sign and finally realized what happened.
As of Sunday, the widowed mother of four adults and grandmother of eight hadn't told her family she was a victim, except her youngest son, she said.
“I feel so stupid. How do I explain to the rest of the crowd that I’m not going anywhere and I’m out $2,700 because it was a big scam.”
The Better Business Bureau has these tips for renters to protect themselves:
- Confirm the identity of the landlord. A legitimate landlord won’t hesitate to show you their ID and will allow you to take a picture. You should be able to confirm they are the real property owner by checking county registers.
- Know local rental prices. If someone offers you a great rental for an extremely low price, proceed with caution.
- See the property first. Never sign a lease or make a deposit without seeing the property in person.
- Never wire money to a stranger. Don’t give in to a sob story. If you wire money to a stranger and they don’t keep up their end of the deal, you’ll have no way to get your money back. Legitimate landlords should always accept payment by cheque.
- Watch out for red flags. If a property has a “for sale” sign, but the “landlord” wants to rent, something is up. It’s also suspicious if you arrive at a property and find a broken lockbox.
- Use the services of a reputable rental agency. This will give you an added layer of protection as you carry out your search.
Source: bbb.org
The cost
Quinn rents in Charlottetown through CAPREIT (Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust) and had put in her 30-days notice.
Though the company accepted her withdrawal of the notice, she has no idea how she’ll come up with January’s rent, which she needs by Tuesday.
“It’ll be two days of scrambling here and trying to do it all while I’m on the road," she said Sunday.
The long-haul driver had taken two weeks off, unpaid, for the move but now expects to be leaving for work Sunday or Monday, she said.
“And to make matters worse, I have a surgery coming up that’s going to put me off of work for three months. I could have used that money to keep up with my bills.”
Not the first
The actual owners of the home, Kim and Bryan Burt, were first notified of the scam in December.
The daughter of the man who delivers their heating oil saw a fake ad for the property on Craigslist, advertising it at $1,200 a month, utilities included.
He recognized the property and called the Burts to let them know, Bryan explained.
“If we weren’t on P.E.I., if it weren’t such a small community, she would have been scammed before Christmas … I was just aghast that it was even happening, but I was just so relieved (his daughter) didn’t get stung.”
They contacted the police and Craigslist, which removed the ad within 12 hours.
They thought it was over, until their realtor called on Friday and told them about Quinn, said Bryan.
“They could have done it to anybody’s house. It’s unreal how quick and easy these people will scam people.”
Quinn said her faith in Jesus is one of the only things keeping her going, but this experience has put it to the test.
“I’m doing my best to hang onto my beliefs and my faith that things will work out, but like I said, every time I even think about it, I get that cross that I could just spit nails.”
More common than you think:
A report on the Better Business Bureau’s website from Dec. 10, 2019, said 5.2 million people lost money to rental scams and 43 per cent of online shoppers encountered a bogus listing.
Of the people who did lose money, the median loss was $400, and one in three victims lost more than $1,000.
In the most common type of fraud involving rentals, scammers copy the photo and description of a property, post it online with their own contact information and try to get a deposit and first month’s rent from the victim.
