Three people from Windsor, eight in total, are charged with fraud by the RCMP in relation to cottage rentals. RCMP’s London Financial Crime Unit said the charges comes from a 12-month investigation that defrauded 75 people across Canada, collecting more than $68,000.
RCMP investigation: communication through emails and text messages
The investigation started in October 2015 as a result of an investigation on other fraudulent cottage rentals one year earlier. RCMP say members of this group of eight posted advertisements for property rentals in popular vacation spots on online classified websites. Victims talked to the group through emails and text messages to agree on the period of time they would be renting a cottage. The RCMP say victims sent payments to one member through an email money transfer.
The cottage not available upon arrival
Often the victims would discover the fraud when they arrived with friends and family, expecting the cottage was available. That caused significant problems and large additional costs for the victims to find alternate accommodations at the last minute.
All are scheduled to appear in early December 2016 at the London Courthouse.
Read more about the cottage rental fraud at CBC News.
