A Whitehorse realtor is warning potential renters of a rental scam that uses real estate listings.

Terence Tait, of RE/MAX Action Realty, said three of his listings have been targeted.

The properties are 2-7 Prospector Rd. and 171 Alsek Rd. in Whitehorse as well as 45 Nolan Rd. in the Marsh Lake area.

Tait told the Star Tuesday the scam takes a legitimate online real estate advertisement to repurpose it as a rental posting on a different website.

The unknown scammer takes the photos and information from the listing and posts it on sites like Prop2go, Kijiji or Craigslist with the scammer’s contact information.

Tait said most of the interactions are done online through email. People are given information about the false rental that seems specific. The idea is to make the fake posting look legitimate.

“It’s just getting the information off the real estate ad,” Tait said.

The scammer poses as the property’s owner and has a story to cover for the existence of the real estate listing.

This individual tells the potential renter that the property was originally for sale, but that he or she decided to rent it instead.

This individual may give a story that his or her family is relocating to the U.S. for employment but wants to move back at some later point.

The scammer’s goal is to get someone to pay a damage deposit. If it’s paid, the entire post gets shut down and the renter never gets access to the property.

Tait gave several red flags for renters to pay attention for.

He advises to look at the cost of rent. Anyone who is familiar with the Yukon rental market should know a suspicious rate, he noted.

He said he received a call from someone who had spoken with someone allegedly conducting the scam. This person said the posting advertised rent at $1,000 monthly – with all utilities included.

“It’s way too cheap,” Tait pointed out.

If the rent sounds too good to be true, he added, it most likely is.

He explained that the scammer typically does not meet the renter in person. The fraud artist will state he or she is out of town and can’t arrange a proxy to meet with the renter, since they do not actually have the keys to the property.

It’s a bad sign if a viewing of the property cannot be set up, Tait warns.

Another red flag is the demand to pay a damage deposit before the scam victim sees the property. Tait said someone should always let you go through the property before any type of financial transaction occurs.

He advises people to get out of the situation immediately if someone makes this demand.

If you are suspicious about the rental ad, he advises, call the realtor involved in the original listing. The realtor’s listing is included with the rental post, and he or she will be able to clear up confusion.

Tait said this is not a new scam. He was first exposed to it when he became a realtor seven years ago.

“It’s been a lot more prominent lately, for sure,” he said.

The scammers usually take listings for houses, half-duplexes and mobile homes. New builds are not used.

The properties seem to be chosen at random; Tait cannot detect any pattern.

He hopes someone is caught by the RCMP, and that no one gets hurt.

He does not like the fact that some of his listings are being used to hurt people and the community.

“I do hope that, now that the word is out there, that some of these people have been scared off,” Tait said.

Prop2Go has issued a warning about this scam, he reports. He has not seen one from the other sites.

The RCMP – who Tait contacted – issued a warning about the fraud attempts.

Police advise renters to arrange to visit the property in person. If that’s not possible, have someone visit the property for you.

If you’re from outside the Yukon, police suggest doing an online search of the address to look for duplicate posts.

“Other suspicious things to look for include different contact information for the same property, sellers that have other properties for rent in other provinces or territories, and sellers that claim to be out of the country,” police said in the release.

If you have fallen victim to this scam, police advise you to call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. The centre has issued several tips, including:

• schedule a showing of the property, going to the address and confirming the availability;

• ask for a lease or contract and thoroughly review the document;

• do an Internet search of the property to ensure it’s not a duplicate post;

• never send money to a stranger;

• get in touch with Equifax or Transunion in the event you’ve been given sensitive information on the applications; and

• use your intuition; if it seems suspicious, that’s a sign that it is.