Man arrested after fake K-W rental ads leave 36 people out more than $30,000

A Stouffville man has been arrested in relation to a rental scam policein Waterloo region sayleft 36 people out a total of more than $30,000.

Investigatorswarn there may be other victims.

Police saidfake advertisements for rental properties in Kitchener and Waterloo were posted to a buy and sell website between November 2021 and February 2022.

The accused would communicate with victims through email, text, phone and WhatsApp before requesting they sign a lease and provide an e-transfer down payment to secure the rental, according to police.

Afterwards, the accused would stop communication, or the victim would show up to the address to discover the lease was not valid.

On Saturday, police said a 46-year-old Stouffville man was arrested and charged with the following:

• Defrauding the public.
• Uttering forged documents.
• Three counts of personation.
• Laundering proceeds of crime.
• Possession of an identity document.
• Possession of a counterfeit stamp.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and they believe other people may have alsobeen victims of the scam.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (519) 570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online.