A Stouffville man has been charged in connection to a Kitchener-Waterloo rental scam that police say defrauded at least 36 victims out of more than $30,000.
Waterloo regional police arrested the man on April 30 after an investigation into fake property rental ads.
Over the course of four months, between November 2021 and February 2022, fake advertisements for rental properties in Kitchener and Waterloo were posted to a buy and sell website, police said in a media release.
The accused communicated with prospective renters via email, text, phone and WhatsApp, before requesting they sign a lease agreement and send a down payment by e-transfer to secure the rental.
In some cases the poster would ghost the victim, and in other instances the victim would show up ready to move in, only to find out the lease wasn’t valid.
The 46-year-old Stouffville man that police believe is behind the scam is now charged with defrauding the public, uttering forged documents, three counts of personation, laundering proceeds of crime, possession of identity document and possession of a counterfeit stamp.
POLICE BELIEVE THERE MAY BE MORE VICTIMS
While a total of 36 victims have been identified as of May 1, police believe there may be others.
Investigators are encouraging anyone who believes they were a victim of the scam to reach out to police.
“We can always seek restitution through the court process,” Const. Melissa Quarrie told CTV News. “So that’s one way victims of…
