Police are asking the public to help identify the driver involved in a hit-and-run collision in northwest St. Albert last Saturday.
Around 10:50 p.m. on July 16, a four-door Nissan Altima was travelling north on Dawson Road and attempted to turn left onto Giroux Road. An unidentified four-door white- or cream-coloured sedan coming south on Deer Ridge Drive crossed Giroux Road and struck the Altima.
Nobody was injured, but the driver of the unknown sedan did not stop after the collision. The vehicle is described as having tinted windows and a loud muffler, and should now have damage to the front bumper areas on the passenger side.
Potential renters in St. Albert should make sure the paperwork is all in order before putting down any money on a new place, police say.
St. Albert RCMP say the exact nature of rental scams can vary, but there are two common scenarios.
In one, a criminal somehow gets access to a property, and then poses as a landlord to show the property to the would-be victim. They ask for an immediate down payment on the property to secure it for the victim, but when the victim arrives on the move-in date they discover the property isn’t a rental and there may be other victims as well.
In the other common scenario, the criminal poses as a landlord, but say they are out of country and need a damage deposit. The victim sends a money transfer then discovers the property isn’t actually a rental.
This can be avoided by taking some precautions: ensure there’s a proper tenancy agreement signed by both parties, including the name and address of the landlord; ask the prospective landlord for photo identification; ask for previous utility bills to verify the landlord’s identity; check rates in the same area, since scammers often offer appealingly low rates; and never send rental payments or damage deposit by wire transfer.
Police ask that if anyone has information about any crime they contact St. Albert RCMP at 780-458-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
