RCMP are alerting St. Albertans about rental property scams after one resident was defrauded out of thousands of dollars.
A 28-year-old St. Albert woman advertised a room for rent on the Internet and was contacted by a person portraying herself to be a woman in need of a room.
After a few weeks of correspondence, they made an agreement about renting the room.
The St. Albert woman then received a cheque to cover the first month's rent and utilities, which was written for a sum that was substantially more than the amount due. The renter asked that the extra money be sent back by a money order made out in a West African type of currency.
The St. Albert woman then discovered that the original cheque was invalid and she was defrauded out of about $2,000, said Cpl. Laurel Kading of the St. Albert RCMP.
“If I send you a cheque for more money than you’re asking, then the cheque is bad. There is never any money behind it,” Kading said.
Fraudsters count on getting money back from their victims before the cheque has cleared, she explained. Fraudsters target anyone who is vulnerable – both young and old.
St. Albert RCMP urge residents to familiarize themselves with fraud information on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website (www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca) in order to protect themselves from these types of crimes.
