Ottawa Police Advise Caution When Using Social Media to Find a Place to Rent

Ottawa police are advising residents to be cautious on Facebook Marketplace and other social media platforms when looking for a rental property. Staff Sergeant Cameron Graham, with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Fraud Unit, told The Epoch Times in a phone interview that rental scams are becoming more elaborate and difficult to spot. “We’ve been seeing an increase in the rental scams in which people are somehow getting either into open houses or fraudulently accessing apartments that are for rent and putting them themselves as the agent renting it,” Staff Sgt. Graham said. One way the scam plays out is with the fraudster calling the agent renting the property and setting up a time to meet under the guise of being interested in renting the home, he said. When a potential victim calls the fraudster from a scam ad, they’re sent to see the property at the arranged time with the fraudster getting access to the property....