Another reason to use a Realtor!

I was reading an article in the local newspaper about a resident who was a victim of internet fraud. This home owner is out about $30,000.00 after being a victim of an on-line property fraud. The owner was trying to sell the property privately on the internet. The owner was contacted by a person saying they were interested in the property. The person claimed they lived in another country, but a financial advisor from Canada was assisting in the purchase. The process was moving slowly, but eventually the buyer sent the seller a $45,000.00 cheque. The seller cashed the cheque, but shortly after-wards the buyer said they had run into financial difficulty and needed most of the money back. Before the initial cheque cleared, the seller sent the buyer $30,000.00 back. The buyer later mailed back another cheque for the remainder owing on the purchase. When the seller tried to cash it, the bank told the seller that both cheques were frauds. In the end the transaction never took place, but the seller is out $30,000.00. the police have not been able to identify the alleged con artists, and are not sure if they ever will.

This would have never happened had the seller used a Realtor to sell their property. We have practices in place to safe guard from these types of problems. We know what we are doing.