Hey everyone, I think I might have messed up and could really use some advice.
I'm moving to Halifax soon and found a place on Kijiji. The “owner” told me that I could see the house. My friend who is already in Halifax actually went to the place, was able to go inside, and even sent me a video of it — so at that point it felt legit. He sent me a lease, I signed it digitally and sent it back. We agreed to send him $500 as a security deposit, which was written into the lease. He gave his own address in Riverview, New Brunswick, which was like eh, whatever, maybe he lives there.
Because of that, I trusted it and sent a $500 deposit.
Now the problem is… the guy has stopped replying completely after I sent the money.
Looking back, I realize I made some big mistakes:
• I didn’t ask for ID
• I didn’t verify ownership
I’m confused because my friend DID get inside the house and everything looked normal, which is throwing me off. But the no-response after payment feels like a huge red flag.
Has anyone in Halifax seen scams like this where:
• The property is real
• Someone can access it
• But the “owner” is fake
What should I do next?
• Is there a way to check who actually owns the property in Nova Scotia?
• Should I report this somewhere (police, Kijiji, etc.)? I reported it to the Cybercrime fraud centre website. Trying to call Riverview RCMP now.
• Any chance of getting the money back?
I know I should’ve been more careful — just trying to figure out the best next steps now. I have all the screenshots and can provide proof if anyone asks in the comment section. I can provide his number and “address” as well, but I don’t know anymore.
Any help would be really appreciated 🙏