’Too good to be true': Friends lose $1,300 in Muskoka Lakes rental scam

Up until mid-April, Taylor Harvey said she considered Muskoka her safe haven.

I've been going to Muskoka all my life," Harvey, from Toronto, said. It's an escape from a lot of the crazy that occurs in the city."

That was before she and her friends lost $1,300 in what they said was a scam.

I never imagined myself being in something even closely related to this," she said.

Non-Muskoka residents Harvey, her partner Kenneth Elo, Jeremy Hall, and Meghan Fraser wanted to rent an apartment in Muskoka Lakes while they worked their summer jobs, but the scam swiftly put their plans on the line.

It's startling," Harvey said. I feel violated."

It started on April 9, when Harvey put out an advertisement on Kijiji in search of a place for four to live starting May. Harvey said a landlord contacted her offering the upstairs portion of his property at 2073 Peninsula Rd. in Minett for $1,000 a month.

We thought it was a dream scenario," Hall said. They accepted his offer and, with accommodation now lined up, accepted their job offers.

Harvey decided to move in earlier than her friends and let the landlord know she would be arriving April 17. That day, after two weeks of daily conversation, the landlord stopped responding to her messages.

Harvey said she asked her Muskoka friend, Hayden, to check out the place, something she hadn't done before. When Hayden arrived at the house, Harvey's worst fears were realized: a family they didn't know was living there, not the landlord.

The family had no idea what he was talking about, point blank," Harvey said. Obviously, a scam."

Harvey said she's in touch with a detective constable with Toronto Police Services who's involved in the case. The officer, Hamid Hamze, stated the investigation is ongoing and would not answer questions about the case.

The four friends gave the landlord $1,300 - $1,000 for first month's rent and $300 for Harvey's two-week stay in April.

Despite their hesitations, Harvey and her friends said they didn't want to lose out on this one-in-a-lifetime" deal and paid him.

He knew how desperate we were," Hall said. It just seemed like it was too good to be true."

Bracebridge OPP Constable Samantha Bigley said local police see an influx of these scam complaints at the start of the summer.

Often, she said, one person will run a scam using the same property, casting a wide net to attract potential victims.

The rental market is very competitive, so it can be easy to get carried away and jump on what seems to be a good opportunity," Bigley said.

Harvey said there is a part of herself that's unhappy and partly responsible for being scammed. However, Bigley said victims should not be hard on themselves when it happens.

It can be very believable," she said. Even very smart, well-educated people will become victimized."

Hall and Harvey said they've taken away many lessons from this experience and advice they'd pass on to others in order to not fall for similar scams.

Never send any money before you see the place," Hall said.

Bigley's words of advice?

If it seems too good to be true, sometimes, it is," she said. She recommended renters do their due diligence by confirming the rental exists and asking to come see the place.

Harvey is staying at the family cottage with Elo in Tobin Island for the summer, while Hall and Fraser will stay in staff housing in Bala and Port Carling. They still haven't gotten their $1,300 back.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With a lack of affordable short-term housing available for summer employees, Muskoka is prime ground for scammers to take advantage of workers seeking accommodation. Our reporter wanted to share what these scams could look like in action - and tips to avoid, potentially, becoming a victim.