Three people trying to rent a flat confronted a sales executive when they realized they were being swindled. Buying and renting condos in the western city of Vancouver is a very expensive proposition and there are fraudsters who take advantage of the situation.
Linda Tran, her boyfriend and a roommate paid $8,250 (the first and last months’ rent plus a security deposit) after seeing photos of the unit on Craigslist posted by a company called Pacific Luxury Rentals. They became suspicious when they contacted the building concierge to arrange their move and were told the unit was for sale, not for rent.
The incident occurred on November 26, 2014, the same week several other people lost thousands of dollars after viewing a three-million-dollar condo in the same building.
‘You feel dumb’
“You’re angry, you feel dumb. You can’t believe this is happening,” says Tran. “But it was adrenalin and sheer panic — we have to vacate our old place … We have no place to live now.
“Our thought process was: we need to get our money back and find out who these people are.”
The three contacted a man who called himself Edward Young, a sales executive with Pacific Luxury Rentals, and said they needed access to the unit to take measurements. Once inside, the started recording a video and told him they knew they were being scammed and that police were on the way. Trans asked to see the man’s wallet. The man resisted and accused them of robbing him.
No charges yet
When police arrived, Trans says the suspect told them he knew nothing about the scam and had only been hired to show the units.
Police arrested him, but no charges have been laid. Tran says she and her friends were lectured by police and told they were lucky to not have been charged with unlawful confinement.
The incident happened in late November and Tran is frustrated that no charges have yet been laid. Police say the investigation is complex and they must gather evidence to present to Crown prosecutors.
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