An international student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario says she was eager to settle into new housing ahead of the fall semester, but was stripped of her savings and fighting poor mental health after falling victim to a rental scam.
“Before, I had one problem: Finding a place. But now, I have two problems: Finding a place and getting my money back … I can’t focus on my studies,” said Armina Soleymani, who moved to Ontario from Iran three years ago to pursue her PhD in systems design engineering.
Soleymani’s experience comes following a slew of warnings by the Waterloo Regional Police Service, and as officers confirm they’re probing multiple reports of rental fraud in the university area this month.
Soleymani said she began searching for a new rental unit near the university about two months ago in order to secure a place before her current lease expires Aug. 31.
How it happened
Earlier this month, she found a suitable online listing from someone calling themself a tenant through a Facebook group that is popular among students. The woman said she wanted to sublet a unit at a building on Columbia Street West in Waterloo. Soleymani arranged an in-person appointment to meet with the woman on Aug. 6.
Soleymani said the woman, who claimed she was a student, gave her a tour, and then they signed a lease agreement.
The woman requested Soleymani pay $2,000 in cash to cover first and last month’s rent and a key deposit.
“I got suspicious and asked her for her…
