ST. PAUL – Scammers are using photos and details from property listings to create fake rental ads, and a St. Paul-based real estate agency is advising the public to remain vigilant.
Tyler Poirier, owner of CENTURY 21 Poirier Real Estate, explains some fraudulent rental schemes involve scammers copying photos and details from MLS listings, as well as legitimate property listing websites, like realtor.ca, to create fake rental ads.
Scammers then alter the details and information they gathered, reposting the altered information on classified ad platforms like Kijiji or any other third-party websites, pretending a property is available for rent.
Poirier acknowledges it is difficult to stop these types of scams because property listings are publicly available. He also suspects many of these scammers operate from outside Canada, making enforcement even more challenging.
Asked if his real estate agency has encountered an instance when a scammer used information from its website, Poirier affirms. “Yes, we have. This happened a couple years ago . . . around the same time of year, if I remember correctly,” he told Lakeland This Week on Jan. 9.
“[Scammers] also try to build trust with the person they’re going to try to scam,” Poirier adds, which could involve a scammer pretending to be a professional – like a doctor.
Tips to avoid rental scams
To help avoid rental scams, Poirier says it is important to verify any rental listing, even if it may look legitimate, before committing to payments.
Poirier explains that a real estate agency will not ask for upfront payment before showing a property.
He advises renters to contact the listing agent or real estate office directly after reading a listing, rather than relying on online forms of communication like emails or texts.
“I would pick up the phone and call the office directly,” he says.
He also urges renters to remain skeptical of rental listings that appear to be from realtor.ca, as properties listed there are usually for sale, and not for rent.
Recognizing warning signs
Certain red flags can help also renters identify potential scams, according to Poirier.
Some common tactics used by scammers include requesting upfront payments without a property tour or in-person meeting.
“Don't send money to someone . . . without ever meeting them. In my opinion, that would be a bad, bad way of going about it,” he says.
“Any owner will show you the property in person before renting it to you. The owner probably wants to meet you anyways, in all honesty . . . They want to see who you are, as much as you want to know who they are.”
