With the resumption of post-secondary classes in September, the Kingston Police Fraud Unit would like to remind students to be aware of scams that target them directly. Two of the most common frauds targeting students are:
Apartment rental scams.
Criminals post ads on sites listing rentals – including sites specifically for students. The scammer will always have an excuse as to why they cannot show the apartment before the move-in date. They will ask for first and last month’s rent to be sent and promise that keys will be delivered.
Never send money for a rental unit that you cannot first visit and ensure is actually available. You can also conduct an on-line search for the property management of any given property to ensure that the ad is legitimate, and that the unit is actually for rent.
Scams targeting Chinese visa students.
Chinese students in Kingston and elsewhere are often targeted by scammers from China. Typically, the victim will be contacted by someone purporting to be from the Chinese Police or embassy, or some government agency. The victim is told that their identity information has been compromised or associated to criminal activities.
A pretext is given to the victim to send money – often by wire transfer to a Hong Kong bank. The scammers use fear to influence their victims, telling them they need to send money to prove their innocence, or as bail to avoid being extradited from Canada.
Kingston Police remind students that no legitimate police agency will ask individuals to send money anywhere; and that no legitimate business or government agency will ask for any form of payment through gift cards, Bitcoin or any other type of cryptocurrency.
Anyone who believes they may have been affected by these types of fraud can file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre