Brandon Wildman would take damage or security deposits for units that turned out in some cases to be short-term vacation rentals
A man convicted of seven counts of fraud for “sophisticated” rental scams has been sentenced to 42 months in jail.
It was determined that Wildman would meet with prospective tenants, show them short-term rental units in a variety of downtown buildings, and take damage or security deposits that ranged from $750 to $2,250. “As the move-in date approached, Wildman would cease communication with the prospective tenants, some who then found out that the unit they rented was actually a short-term vacation rental.”
The frauds involved online ads for rental suites and meeting with victims, calling their references and giving out phoney key fobs, police said at the time. The victim viewed the unit and transferred a damage deposit before becoming suspicious and contacting the property manager, who said the suite was not for rent.
Doug King, executive director of the Together Against Poverty Society in Victoria, said scammers have been preying on people trying to find housing in the region’s “desperate rental market.”King said that young people and international students unfamiliar with how the rental system works are often the ones who end up getting victimized.
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