Sublet scam targets students
OTTAWA (CUP) -- Subletters beware: there is a scam targeting Ontario students looking to rent out their apartments. The perpetrators send cheques or money orders for much more money than the sublet requires and then ask the subletter to repay them the extra money. The payments are in fact bogus, students are swindled, and the scammers end up with thousands of dollars.
Robert Frizzell, a recent University of Ottawa graduate, was nearly conned by one of the scammers in question. Last December, Frizzell was looking to sublet his apartment. He put an ad on the university's off-campus housing website and received an odd reply.
“It was a generic message that didn't seem to specify my ad . . . they asked questions about things that I had already specified,” he said. “[The sender] said he was a vet from Ireland and he wanted to find a place for his daughter who was going to school.”
After sending a few pictures, Frizzell got an offer from the man to sublet his apartment.
“He said: ‘I'll send you a money order for $5,000. I'll need you to cash it and send the remainder to my daughter's travel agent after you take what you need,'” Frizzell said.
Frizzell knew something was wrong after the man said his daughter was going to York University.
“I just thought it was someone who didn't understand the province, so I said he should look for a place somewhere else, but they repeated their requests,” he said. “After that I just pressed the block button [in my Internet browser].”
If Frizzell had accepted the money and then transferred the rest to the supposed Irish veterinarian, he could have been many thousands of dollars in debt.
Sylvie Reany, a detective for the Ottawa Police Service, said this kind of fraud has been around for a long time and that if individuals send money in exchange for a bad cheque, there is no way to get it back.
“The bank will hold you responsible if you transfer the funds,” she said.
Michel Ferland of the U of O's off-campus housing service said this scam has been directed at many universities.
“[Fraud artists] have been targeting universities all around Canada and the U.S.,” Ferland said.
However, she said that students can avoid getting caught by being careful when selecting a subletter.
Frizzell says students should be careful when trying to sublet their apartments.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Know your subletting rights
This kind of fraud is known as an overpayment scam. PhoneBusters, a national anti-fraud call centre run by the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police, offers this advice:
- Know who you are dealing with -- independently confirm your buyer's name, street address, and telephone number.
- Never accept a cheque for more than your selling price.
- Never agree to wire back funds to a buyer -- a legitimate buyer will not pressure you to do so, and you have limited recourse if there is a problem with a wire transfer.
- Resist pressure to “act now.” If the buyer's offer is good now, it should be good when the cheque clears.
- If you accept payment by cheque, ask for one drawn on a local bank or a bank with a local branch. You can visit that bank branch to determine if the cheque is legitimate.
- If the buyer wants to use a service you have not heard of, be sure to check it out to be sure it is reliable -- check its website, call its customer service hotline, and read its terms of agreement and privacy policy. If you do not feel comfortable with the service, do not use it.
Robert Frizzell, a recent University of Ottawa graduate, was nearly conned by one of the scammers in question. Last December, Frizzell was looking to sublet his apartment. He put an ad on the university's off-campus housing website and received an odd reply.
“It was a generic message that didn't seem to specify my ad . . . they asked questions about things that I had already specified,” he said. “[The sender] said he was a vet from Ireland and he wanted to find a place for his daughter who was going to school.”
After sending a few pictures, Frizzell got an offer from the man to sublet his apartment.
“He said: ‘I'll send you a money order for $5,000. I'll need you to cash it and send the remainder to my daughter's travel agent after you take what you need,'” Frizzell said.
Frizzell knew something was wrong after the man said his daughter was going to York University.
“I just thought it was someone who didn't understand the province, so I said he should look for a place somewhere else, but they repeated their requests,” he said. “After that I just pressed the block button [in my Internet browser].”
If Frizzell had accepted the money and then transferred the rest to the supposed Irish veterinarian, he could have been many thousands of dollars in debt.
Sylvie Reany, a detective for the Ottawa Police Service, said this kind of fraud has been around for a long time and that if individuals send money in exchange for a bad cheque, there is no way to get it back.
“The bank will hold you responsible if you transfer the funds,” she said.
Michel Ferland of the U of O's off-campus housing service said this scam has been directed at many universities.
“[Fraud artists] have been targeting universities all around Canada and the U.S.,” Ferland said.
However, she said that students can avoid getting caught by being careful when selecting a subletter.
Frizzell says students should be careful when trying to sublet their apartments.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Know your subletting rights
This kind of fraud is known as an overpayment scam. PhoneBusters, a national anti-fraud call centre run by the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police, offers this advice:
- Know who you are dealing with -- independently confirm your buyer's name, street address, and telephone number.
- Never accept a cheque for more than your selling price.
- Never agree to wire back funds to a buyer -- a legitimate buyer will not pressure you to do so, and you have limited recourse if there is a problem with a wire transfer.
- Resist pressure to “act now.” If the buyer's offer is good now, it should be good when the cheque clears.
- If you accept payment by cheque, ask for one drawn on a local bank or a bank with a local branch. You can visit that bank branch to determine if the cheque is legitimate.
- If the buyer wants to use a service you have not heard of, be sure to check it out to be sure it is reliable -- check its website, call its customer service hotline, and read its terms of agreement and privacy policy. If you do not feel comfortable with the service, do not use it.
