$950 for an apartment? A steal if it's real, but an Ontario man is now just one of the latest scam victims
CBC
Chris Norris is running out of time to find somewhere to live.
He needs to be out of his rental in Thunder Bay, Ont., by the end of October, and being on long-term disability means his budget is tight. It's even tighter now, after falling prey to a scammer who took a $400 deposit from him for an apartment that wasn't real.
"It was very defeating — you're out that money, you're not going to get that money back, there's no recourse," Norris said.
Rental scams are becoming more common across Canada, according to anti-fraud interests, and scammers are rarely held accountable. Norris and other victims say they want that to change and see action to stop fraud against renters.
The scam against Norris took place on Facebook, when someone responded to his ad looking for a rental. They offered a unit for $950 a month all inclusive, which is a good deal in Thunder Bay's rental market, so Norris felt he needed to do whatever it took to sign that lease.
"I got to jump the gun and make sure I'm doing everything I can to secure a place," said Norris. "I desperately need a place because my landlord is selling where I am right now."
After paying the $400 deposit, the person started asking for more money, which made Norris suspicious. When he went to the house for a viewing, he found someone living there who said the apartment was definitely not for rent. When Norris tried to contact the person offering the unit, they blocked him on Facebook, leaving him out $400.
Non-delivery scams related to buying and selling online, including rental scams, have all increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
In 2021, frauds associated with buying or selling goods and services online accounted for $21.1 million in reported losses, the fraud centre reports.
Housing-related scams are easy and lucrative for criminals, said Rachel Jolicoeur, director of the Cyber Market Intelligence and Financial Crimes centre at Interac. Compared to other online scams, rental fraud allows scammers to "cast a very wide net."
"They don't have to specify a certain demographic, age group. This really applies to everyone. We all need a home," said Jolicoeur. "The victim can be anyone."
Application fees, security deposits, pet deposits and asking for first month's rent before a move-in are all illegal under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). But many tenants don't know this or feel pressured to pay illegal fees because of how challenging finding a rental can be, said Dania Majid, a lawyer with the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario.
"Because of the low supply and the fact that there are next to no affordable units, they are sort of going outside of the norms set under the Residential Tenancies Act," said Majid. "That desperation for prospective tenants trying to find a place has generally has made everyone vulnerable to potential scams."
One of the most glaring red flags is a reluctance to physically show the unit, said Jolicoeur.
The Victoria Police Department will have officers patrolling on foot for the first time since 2022, thanks to new funding from the city.
ArcelorMittal Dofasco has quietly extended its timeline by 22 years to phase out coal for "decarbonized" steelmaking, says a federal government document, aiming for 2050 instead of 2028.
In a week where President Donald Trump says the U.S. doesn’t need cars made in Canada, the Dodge Charger Sixpack — made in Windsor, Ont. — is in the running to win car of the year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this morning.
An Ontario man has reached a settlement agreement with Boeing almost seven years after six of his family members died in a plane crash.
Severe weather has lead to several highway closures across northern Ontario Wednesday morning.
Several Durham police officers diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) say they believe the service isolated them from the day they went on mental health leave and has not provided them any meaningful support.
The City of Toronto’s 2026 budget offers relief many homeowners were looking for in its property tax increase, but it also lays bare the massive amount of infrastructure work hanging over the city in the coming years which, in some cases, may be deferred.
The University of Guelph says it is offering assistance to help students stranded in Iran after a petition was started asking for more to be done by the school.
There may be some relief in sight this flu season — though it may not feel like it right now.
Students will be back in class on Wednesday morning at Robert Service School in Dawson City.
The Canadian Armed Forces would need to buy 72 Gripen fighter jets and six GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for Swedish manufacturer Saab to deliver on its pledge of creating 12,600 jobs in Canada, CBC News has learned.
When news broke of U.S. forces attacking and seizing Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, Barry Blacklock’s phone began buzzing.
Quebec is projected to surpass 600 drug overdose deaths for a second consecutive year and experts are repeating calls for the province to do more to curb this trend.