
How to avoid getting scammed out of your house
        By Frank O'Brien - Inman News - Toronto Canada 06/03
     
       The Toronto couple couldn't believe their good fortune. They had found         a modern two-bedroom house close to downtown available to rent for only         $2,000. After showing them the house, the landlord asked for the first         and last month's rent in certified checks.
             "It was such a good deal we never thought twice about it," said               Janet W., the potential tenant, who, with her husband, was soon               packing. When they arrived two weeks later to move into their dream               home, however, they awoke to a nightmare. The "landlord" had               rented the house out to 12 other potential tenants, pocketing more               than $25,000 in deposits before skipping town. It turned out the               phony owner had actually rented the house himself just a few weeks               before advertising it for rent.
             Real estate schemes, scams and fraud all constitute a form of               theft which criminals use to steal your cash or even your home.               And Canadian police departments say they are increasing in number               and sophistication.
             Con artists may use several methods to swindle you in a real estate               fraud scheme. Foreclosure bailout, home equity fraud, home renovation               scams, rental fraud and deceptive timeshare scams are just a few               types of real estate frauds now popping up.