KITCHENER - There are a lot of unexpected surprises when you buy a new house: renovations and repairs aren't uncommon.
But a Delhi, Ont. woman was shocked to discover her home was listed online for rent.
Rosemarie Hardcastle moved into her home just two months ago and found out the house was listed online for $1,600 per month when a potential renter showed up at her door.
She says she looked online and found her home available for rent on American and Spanish websites.
"We looked at the ad and it was almost word-for-word the listing when it was up for sale," she says.
She called the OPP to report the ad, not wanting people coming for holiday to "have their vacation ruined."
Despite also contacting the websites her house is listed, she says the ad is still online.
Now provincial police are reminding people to do their due diligence when looking for a rental property.
"Once you hear they are out of country or they want you to e-transfer or wire transfer any type of funds before you even look at that apartment or home for sale or rent, you know it should be a scam," says Const. Ed Sanchuk.
"Those red flags should automatically go off."
He says these kind of scams are on the rise, adding that the culprits sometimes get their photos at open houses.
The Kitchener-Waterloo Association of Realtors advises people to stick to reputable website.
"We have sophisticated software to help try to prevent this," explains Brian Santos, president of KWAR.
"But, ultimately, you can only be so sophisticated because there's a lot of really clever people out there that are trying to unfortunately scam people."
Provincial police are investigating.
