A person looking to rent a home in Oak Bay ended up being scammed out of nearly $5,000.
According to Oak Bay Police, the individual responded to a residential rental ad. The person who placed the ad then requested $4,650 for the security deposit and first month’s rent.
The victim sent the money via e-transfer for the unit, which they believed to have secured.
When they showed up to the house to move in on the agreed upon date, there was an occupant in the home who advised the person that they had been living there for years and the unit was not up for rent.
This incident was reported on February 12th, the same day a ‘sophisticated’ rental scammer in Victoria was sentenced to over three years in prison.
Related: ‘Sophisticated’ rental scammer in Victoria sentenced to over three years in prison
In 2022, it came to light that there was a man in Victoria who was running numerous sophisticated rental scams.
The suspect was apprehended after police released a photo of him, which led to his arrest. Following court proceedings, he was handed a 42-month sentence for his fraudulent activity.
43-year-old Brandon Wildman’s guilty sentence was for seven counts of fraud under $5,000.
Police say that just between March and July 2022, Wildman was found guilty of defrauding at least nine Victorians.
Wildman would meet with his victims, show them around apartment buildings and finally, take their money in amounts between $750 and $2,250.
While conducting these scams, Wildman would use a range of aliases.
“In many instances Wildman would enter into a written lease agreement with the prospective tenants, sometimes providing a key fob for the building that Wildman claimed would be activated when the tenancy began,” said VicPD in a statement.
“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.”
In addition to his 42-month sentence in prison, Wildman has been ordered to pay his victims restitution for the money he received from them.
