Ad scam on Craigslist dupes couple looking to rent home in Regina

Renters beware: Scam circulating Craigslist As Cally Stephanow reports, a property scam has been targeting renters on Craigslist.

Carole Raymond was taken by surprise this past weekend when a couple showed up at her home.

"A young couple with a young child came up to us and asked if we are renting our home for $800 a month, we thought no," said Raymond.

Raymond said the couple saw her home listed for rent on Craigslist. The couple contacted a man they believed to be the owner. He asked for an online money transfer and promised to send the keys once the cash was received. When the couple met Raymond, they realized they'd almost been scammed.

"She was just sick to her stomach, she was extremely upset that they came so close to being taken," said Raymond.

Raymond's house is for sale. She believes the scam artist got photos of her home from an online real estate listing.

"It's disturbing for us to think that someone's going to come here in a moving van full of furniture to move in at the end of the month, to move into my home," said Raymond.

Regina police say these types of investigations can be difficult because sometimes the suspect might not even be in Canada. They say it's best to do your research especially if a deal seems too good to be true."

"Even if you get a good idea of who they are and where they are from and where they are located, you still may never be able to return them to this jurisdiction for prosecutions," said Regina Police Service spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich

Police say people should always report this type of scam to police and to the advertising website. In this case, both Raymond and the couple contacted Craigslist, and the ad has been removed.

"I feel much better in the sense that we've done everything we can to take steps to safeguard our home and to also educate people within the city that may be potentially in the same position as this young couple was," said Raymond.