Winkler Police Chief urges caution as "real estate" scam reports continue

As scammers continue to look for ways to take money from people, reports of the 'real estate' scam have been received by a number of police departments in the Pembina Valley.

One attempt was reported to the Morden Police Service earlier this month, and the Altona Police Service advised that local realtors had reported an increase in incidents.
    

Winkler Police Chief Ryan Hunt says they've received two reports of this specific scam, and in one of the cases, he says the person was out a sum of money.

In the case of the real estate scam, Hunt says the scammer will take a picture from the internet of a house or apartment that's listed for sale or rent. They will then post it online as their own and request a deposit from an interested buyer or renter.

It is not only with real estate this happens. Hunt says scammers will use pictures of many types of items listed for sale online and repost them as their own. He says the scammer will sometimes ask the buyer for the full amount and not just a deposit. 

Unfortunately, it's often only after the money has been sent, the buyer will realize what they thought was a purchase was actually a scam.

Browsing online can be a convenient way to find a good deal on an item. however, with many scams prevalent these days it can be difficult, and a lot of caution is needed.

"It's to the point now where you almost have to be on the defensive and you have to assume that this is probably a scam until you can prove otherwise," added Hunt. "And there's different ways you can do that. If it's a company or an organization that you're dealing with, you can look them up online, find their phone number online, don't just assume that the phone number they're giving you is the correct."

Hunt also suggests doing an online search similar to the transaction you're planning to make to see if anything comes up related to a scam.

Checking out the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's website is also a helpful resource.

Hunt was asked whether people appear to be getting more cautious with the many schemes scammers are throwing at them.

"Yeah, we certainly see that a fair bit. Some of the complaints that we get in are from people who have started down this road and then realized it was a scam and then were able to get out of it before they sent any money. So, people I think are doing their homework and putting in their due diligence and being able to determine that it is a fraud." 

Ultimately, Hunt says if you can't prove for certain it's legitimate, it's best to err on the side of caution and not get involved with the transaction.