Watch out for these common scams

Scams have become more widespread than ever and often start with something as simple as an email or text message, a phone call, or an ad on social media. To help you protect yourself, we’re sharing some current fraud trends you should watch for. Common scams you should know about Bank impersonation scams Scammers are posing as bank representatives and contacting individuals through a variety of channels, including calls that spoof the bank’s phone number as well as legitimate-looking phishing text and email messages that lead to malicious websites. The goal of fraudsters is to gain access to their victims’ funds, accounts or personal information. How to help protect yourself: Hang up or don’t click or reply, then call your bank using the number on the back of your bank card.

Tech support scams Scammers are impersonating tech support staff for well-known companies to trick people into believing there is a problem with their computer, account or device. They may reach out directly, or you could encounter an error screen on your device with a “customer service” number to call. The fraudsters may ask for payment or request remote access to your computer – which they could use to steal personal information or install harmful software.  How to help protect yourself: Hang up. Legitimate tech support providers will not call, text, or email you unless you reach out to them first.

Investment scams Fraudsters are posing as bankers or investment professionals to scam individuals with fraudulent investment opportunities. Scammers contact their victims through a variety of channels promising large returns – but once they invest, the money is gone.      How to help protect yourself: Remember, if it seems too good to be true, don’t invest.

Grandparent scams

Fraudsters are calling victims posing as a family member and saying that they’re in trouble and need money. Using a false sense of urgency, fraudsters pressure their victims into transferring money immediately – before the victim has a chance to verify the situation. How to help protect yourself: Hang up and try to contact that family member through a trusted number, or contact another close relative to check in.

 

ROMANCE SCAMS: How to Spot a Romance Scam and Protect Yourself

You get a direct message from an attractive stranger on your favourite social media site. You start chatting and quickly hit it off. Soon they’re telling you how much they love you and they want to meet. But when the time comes, they’re never able to video chat and all those in-person dates — they always have an excuse for breaking them.

Then one day, they tell you about a big personal emergency. They desperately need your help and ask you to send money through cryptocurrency or gift cards. Suddenly you find yourself sending thousands of dollars to someone you’ve never even met.

You’ve just fallen victim to a romance scam.

Not all romance scams involve sending the scammer money directly. Sometimes they use the intimacy they create to convince you to tell them personal details about yourself — like your mother’s maiden name or your childhood pet’s name — details that can help them steal your identity. 

It’s important to know the signs so you can end the relationship before the scammer ruins your finances or identity.

How Can I Spot a Romance Scam?

1. Their profile seems too good to be true

• Their profile picture looks like a professional model or shows them in a luxurious setting.
• Their profile is relatively new, has very few friends/followers, or lacks photos with family and friends.
• They often claim to have a job that requires a lot of travel, like the military, working on an oil rig, or a doctor working with an international organization. 

2. They get very romantic, very fast

• Also known as “love bombing”, they profess their love within days or weeks.
• They may use terms like “honey,” “babe,” or “my future wife/husband” very early to create a false sense of intimacy.

3. They avoid face-to-face contact

• They always have an excuse for not being on camera, like bad Wi-Fi or claiming their camera is broken. 
• They cancel plans to meet, often citing a last-minute emergency. 

4. They move the conversation to a private app

• They quickly push to move the conversation from the dating or social media app to encrypted apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal. These apps may lack the security filters and monitoring of standard social networks.

5. They ask for money

• They claim a financial or medical emergency and ask for help. Or they position themselves as a cryptocurrency expert and propose an investment opportunity on a (fake) platform.
• They will almost always ask for untraceable payments: Cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or gift cards.

How Can I Protect Myself from a Romance Scammer?

If you suspect someone might be a scammer, take these steps immediately:

• Reverse image search: Upload their profile picture to a reverse image search engine. If the photo appears under different names or on stock photo sites, it’s a scam.
• Dig deeper: Ask questions about where they live and their friends and family. Pay attention to inconsistencies. If they claim to be from Vancouver but they can’t name their neighbourhood or don’t know local landmarks, be wary.
• Don’t send money: Never send money to someone you haven't met in person, no matter how desperate their story sounds or how lucrative the opportunity seems.
• Talk to a friend: Scammers try to isolate you. Tell a trusted friend or family member about the relationship — an outside perspective can be a good reality check.

What Should I Do If I've Been Scammed?
1. Cut off all contact immediately but save the evidence. Take screenshots or save emails and texts related to the fraud before you block them.
2. Call your bank and credit card companies. Tell them you’ve been a victim of fraud. 
3. Report the crime. Report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and to your local police. 
4. Place a free fraud warning. A fraud warning on your credit report encourages lenders and other credit granters to contact you before extending new credit, which can help stop scammers from opening credit accounts in your name. 
5. Change your passwords. If you shared any login details with the scammer, change your passwords immediately.

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Leasing A Property :

Be aware of the following red flags that could indicate a scam or warnings to NOT move forward with Leasing a property.
Your Real Estate agent can confirm ownership of a property so you know you are dealing with the owner or contracted Representative and NOT the impersonator who is trying to Scam You!

*** ALERT!!! *** THERE IS A CURRENT UPTICK ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHERE PERSONS ARE IMPERSONATING EITHER THE OWNER OF A PROPERTY OR BEING A REAL ESTATE AGENT.

1. You need to confirm you are dealing with the legal owner or a licensed real estate agent. This is not always an easy task on your own. You could contact the real estate brokerage and confirm you are dealing with a true real estate agent by proper online verification. You may not easily be able to verify you are dealing with the owner of the property.
2. I suggest you work with a legitimate licensed real estate agent. Your agent can verify the owner of a property and you are dealing with a legitimate licensed real estate agent that may be representing the owner.
3. Recent happenings have new scam techniques revealed to fool you and at the end of the day, you give deposit money (which you will not get back), will not truly have a valid lease agreement,  nor will you receive the proper house keys (if you get fooled to make it to this point).
4. If you are looking to rent a property, why not hire a real estate agent to represent you as there is no cost to you (99.9% of the time) and you will be protected to make sure you are not being scammed.
5. Let me know if you would like to discuss any further, if you have any questions or if you would like to connect to hire me to be your real estate agent.
   PRESS HERE TO CONTACT ME

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1. Below Market Rent
While it would be nice to save a lot of money on rent, you don’t want to be snared by a scam. If a property appears to be way under the going market prices, this is a Red Flag of a possible scam.

2. LARGE Deposits Upfront (or just 1 month transfer of funds)
Exceptionally large security deposits that far exceed the rental amount can be a sign of a predatory lease. No deposits are required until the property is viewed and your Lease Offer is submitted and then officially signed as accepted by the one who has authority to sign that accepted Lease Offer. Having a Real Estate Agent can help to confirm your money is protected and going into the proper trust account of a Brokerage or at least confirm the transaction is safe.
Scams are out there asking for upfront deposits. NEVER DO THAT!
If you do not have a fully written Lease Agreement with all the details completed that are typical within a standard Lease Agreement, this might be a SCAM and usually is a SCAM.
It has been known that a Scammer asks you to transfer only the first months rent to them and pay the last months rent when you pick up the keys. Then after they receive your first months rent payment you may get a reply such as; 

• "Sorry, we rented the property to someone else"
  OR
• "Sorry, my partner did not tell me there has been another Lease Offer accepted".

This is likely a SCAM and you probably will never get your money back.

Do not transfer any funds or give a deposit until:

1. Confirming all details within your Lease Offer Agreement and verification the owner is the owner, or if a management company, that they are for real. Your real estate agent representing you can do this.
2. Your typical transfer of funds will go into a Trust account of the Real Estate Brokerage involved and payable to the listing Real Estate Brokerages "Trust Account". Usually this is equal to first and last months rent. Be suspicious of any other arrangement or requests for direct payment.
3. Payments directed to be sent to an individual is very possible to be a SCAM. Do not do that without proper verification of all parties involved and confirmation of the property itself being legitimate and owned by the name of the owner on your Lease Offer. A Real Estate Agent representing you can do this.  
4. Optionally, contact your Lawyer to confirm all this, though you may have a fee for that. A real estate agent can also handle all this once you confirm they will be representing you and there will not be a fee with a real estate agent. (Unless they are playing offside! Then you can be suspicious of a SCAM once again.)

DO NOT JUST FORWARD MONEY TO SOMEONE. This is likely a SCAM!

3. Signs Of Neglect
Take a good look at the property for any signs of water damage, mold, roof or window damage.
Check the following:
Structural components (walls, ceilings, doors, floors, etc.)
Electrical (light switches, fixtures, alarms, etc.)
Plumbing (sinks, toilettes, bath tubs, showers, etc.)
Appliances (Are all appliances included working?)
Mechanical Systems (furnace, A/C, water heater, thermostat, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, etc.)

4. Unreachable Landlord/Representative
If it is difficult to reach them prior to even signing a Lease, this is a good sign of things to come. It usually only gets worse. You may want to consider another property.

5. High Turnover
If you can find multiple listings online, it may be a sign of high turnover due to unhappy Tenants. Though it could also indicate alot of short term rentals.
Your Real Estate agent is able to check about this also. If high turnover, maybe reconsider or do your due diligence to uncover why there is high turnover.

6. Asking You To Rent Sight Unseen and Pressure to Make Deposits
Always view a property before signing a Lease. If you cannot view, have someone you know, trust and available to confirm the property is okay, legitimate and owned by the person you are dealing with or their contracted Representative. Your Real Estate Agent can help with all of this.
**Scams currently exist where they pressure you to make a deposit to hold a property with some pressure excuses behind it. Never do that!
RED FLAG! This is likely a SCAM! 

7. Red Flags In your Lease Agreement 
Read through your Lease Agreement. Ask questions about anything that seems unreasonable or excessive. This is your Real Estate Agents job as well so that is a very good way to legitimize details and have the appropriate changes made in your Lease Agreement.
The lease should at least have the property address, landlord contact information, the rent amount, where and how it is paid, the start and end dates, what will happen when the lease ends and possibly actions on Lease termination. There are proper documents covering all these details that you should be aware of. Your Real Estate Agent Representative will also be a trusted source to make sure all these (and more) are covered in your Lease Agreement. 

• Items to expect: (Your Real Estate agent will be a great trusted source regarding all these details below)

1. Security Deposit(s) - The amount, when it's due, when it can be witheld, payback terms and conditions, etc.
2. Extra Fees: If there is extra deposit fees and if they are within the legal allowances. ie; Damage or Pet Damage deposits and refundable terms.
3. Utilities - Who pays, how they are paid, what utilities are included or not.
4. Your Rights and Your Obligations - Usually indicated in your Schedule A of the Lease Offer. These details are your agreed to obligations for maintaining the property, who pays for repairs or what repairs and how that is handled.
5. Legal Entry - Conditions such as when your Landlord or their Representative can enter the property when you are not there and the process required for notification of these entries.
6. Disclosures - Any additional information that the Landlord should be disclosing to you and are required by Law.
7. Condition Of The Property - Be sure to document and take pictures of the property and particularly any damages when or prior to taking occupancy. This is your only proof of these issues prior to moving in. You may be charged with any damages so it is wise to have a clear picture (pun intended) of damages beforehand. If possible, maybe meet the Landlord upon picking up the keys and do a walk through the property to point out any issues. Document what is discussed.
8. Make sure any agreements made verbally between you and the landlord or property manager are put into writing and signed by both you and the landlord. The same goes for any changes you negotiate to the lease.
9. A lease agreement protects all parties signing the Lease. You as well as the property owner, I suggest not to hand over any money without one. Otherwise you may be being Scammed.
    

8. VERIFY YOU ARE DEALING WITH A LICENCED REAL ESTATE AGENT
It has occurred that someone is claiming to be a real estate agent. They could be. There are instances where they are impersonating a real estate agent. Obviously you can do your own search on the web using the agents name to see if they appear and at least at this point, seem to be for real. Otherwise, if they do not come up as a real estate agent or listed as an agent under a Real Estate Brokerage within your search results, you can start to be suspicious.

What to do, to verify they are a Licenced Real Estate Agent:

1. Ask for there website, real estate Brokers name they are registered under and their office phone number and address.
2. Check the website exists for the agent and Brokerage. The odd agent does not have a website but their Brokerage will have one.
3. Call the real estate Brokerage and ask for the real estate agent by name. They will likely indicate that that agent will have to be paged. This is a good sign the agent is for real. If they do not offer to page the agent, this likely indicates an imposter and they will tell you they do not have an agent in their office under that name. 
4. Actually send a page to have that real estate agent contact you. The brokerage (or answering service the brokerages uses) will know if they have a licenced agent under that name and will direct your message directly to ONLY that agent. They will likely ask for your phone number, email address and your message. Likely also the property you are calling about. Give them this information. Message the agent to call you and when they do, confirm the property in question. At least you now will know the agent under this name is the correct one and you can discuss details of the property further (if it is legitimate).
    

Furthermore, before signing a Lease Agreement, make sure you read and understand everything in your Lease Agreement that you are signing for. Though many of these concerns and issues will be covered with your Real Estate Agent representing you, it is wise to know the details for yourself so you do not make any assumptions and cause problems for yourself at a later date.
If you do not have a Real Estate Agent and would like to discuss my professional help and Representation, please feel free to contact me.

Watch out for links on FACEBOOK! I advise not to click on them and not to get involved with any of these links offering Investing opportunities. Usually end up a SCAM!

Feel free to contact me with any further questions you may have. I will get back to you as soon as possible. CONTACT ME

Regards,

Steven Burrows
Real Estate Agent
Right At Home Realty
905-637-1700