When a woman with four children arrived on their doorstep, Murrayville residents Lillian and Dwain Seymour had to let her know she wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be moving in.

B次元官网网址淪he had already given notice,B次元官网网址� Dwain recalled. B次元官网网址淚 told her, itB次元官网网址檚 [our house] not for rent, never has, never will be.B次元官网网址�

Shocked, the woman told the Seymours she had handed over an $800 deposit to a person she met in a coffee shop, believing they were behind an ad on the Craigslist website that displayed genuine photos taken of the exterior of the SeymourB次元官网网址檚 property in the 3600-block of 224th St., but fake interior photos taken from some other source.

B次元官网网址淗er bags were packed,B次元官网网址� Lillian recalled.

B次元官网网址淪he was homeless.B次元官网网址�

Four different people have showed up at the SeymourB次元官网网址檚 home in less than a month, lured by the online ad.

There have been others, who the retired couple have noticed stopping to have a look, then leaving.

As it turned out, the online ad B次元官网网址� which has reportedly been taken down B次元官网网址� told would-be tenants not to knock on the door or go onto the property, so as not to disturb the B次元官网网址渃urrent tenants.B次元官网网址�

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Lillian said it all started with a phone call in early September from a woman who claimed to be with a real estate company.

She asked if their house was for rent, and when Lillian said it wasnB次元官网网址檛, the caller kept asking questions until Lillian hung up.

A few days later, a man drove into their front yard, and told the couple he was looking to rent a place for a friend.

That was when they learned about the online for-rent ad.

The couple reported the incident to police, who told them to contact Craigslist and the online.

Lillian said they tried, but it was a frustrating experience, because the anti-fraud centre and Craigslist could only be reached by email.

As of Wednesday, the fraud line has posted a message apologizing for B次元官网网址渋ntermittent disruptions with our toll-free telephone line that may cause your call to be disconnected.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 phone anyone any more,B次元官网网址� Lillian said.

They decided to go public to warn people about the scam.

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Langley RCMP Cpl. Holy Largy said people need to take basic precautions when responding to a rental ad.

B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 rent a place sight unseen,B次元官网网址� Largy advised. B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 hand money over before viewing a property.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚f it seems to be good to be true, it probably is,B次元官网网址� Largy added.

Better Business Bureau reports this type of scam has been going on for several years across all provinces on websites like Craigslist and Kijiji.

The agency recommends searching online for the listings, or the scammerB次元官网网址檚 email address or phone number.

If you find the same ad being posted and located in other cities then you can be sure itB次元官网网址檚 a scam, the BBB says.

dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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