Whether you’re looking to rent or own a home in Toronto, sky-high housing costs are an unavoidable reality of life in the economic heart of Canada.
So when you see a deal that’s too good to be true, trust your gut. It could be a scam.
Just days after the Toronto Police sought the public’s assistance in locating the culprits behind a mortgage fraud scam, the cops are seeking yet another fraudster accused of advertising other people’s apartments for rent.
The Toronto Police Service reports that “between July and November, 2022, a man advertised apartments for rent online,” the catch being that “he was not authorized to show or rent out the apartments.”
The man is alleged to have defrauded multiple people after collecting deposits and rent money for apartments he had no authority to rent out.
Thirty-six-year-old Christopher Lancop (who also goes by the name of Christian John Merner) is wanted for 14 counts of Fraud Under $5,000, and 14 counts of Property Obtained by Crime.
He is described as 5’10”, 170lbs, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and police have released a photo to assist in tips.
News Release – Man Wanted in Rental Fraud Investigation, Christopher Lancop, 36 (AKA Christian John Merner)https://t.co/8FiXYXLPde pic.twitter.com/5KyxiHBxTi
— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) January 10, 2023
The police also stated that there could be more victims out there.
If this all sounds familiar, these types of scams have become increasingly common in Toronto, where the December 2022 average monthly rent soared to $2,532 for a one-bedroom and $3,347 for a two-bedroom.
These decreasingly attainable housing prices foster desperation among renters and homebuyers and create the perfect conditions for rental and home sale scams to proliferate.
In one recent case, purchasers even moved into a home they were conned into buying. Just not by the actual owners, who only discovered the new occupants months after the fraudulent sale.
Rental website liv. rent warned last year that “opportunistic scammers are more prevalent now than ever, costing Canadian renters 12.3 million dollars through merchandise scams—which includes rental scams—in 2021, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.”
Toronto rental scams are totally out of control and here’s what you need to know https://t.co/kimryRDZJM #Torontos #TorontoRealEstate #RealEstate
— blogTO (@blogTO) August 19, 2022
There has been a massive increase in these types of fraud cases since 2020, and even though the lockdowns that were a factor in the uptick are now in the history of books, the scamming continues.
And these scams are happening everywhere in Toronto, including one of its most infamous addresses, 12 York Street, better known to the masses as Ice Condos.
Even cottage-goers far removed from the big city’s criminal underworld fell prey to these scams.
The takeaway here is to always closely check the paperwork and do your due diligence, as that too-good-to-be-true deal could very well hint at fraud.
