Woman whose belongings left in Ottawa driveway now 'very untrusting'

A woman who hoped to start a new life in Ottawabut instead discovered herworldly possessions had been left in a stranger's driveway says she was duped into paying rent for a home that was occupied.

"I've been pretty numb to the situation, but I do feel very, very untrusting.I don't understand how someone could do that to somebody,"NikkiWilson told CBC News Thursday by phone."It's been horrible."

Wilson, 28, and her partner are back at her father's home in Napanee, Ont., about 235 kilometres south of Ottawa, after what they thought would be their first night in their new house on Parkglen Drive.

Theyhad placed an ad on the classified websiteKijiji looking to renta one- or two-bedroom home in Ottawa to "start fresh," Wilson said.

She'dlived in Napaneeher whole lifeand wanted to make a change. Her partner was hoping to start work at a golf course and Wilson had dreams of starting her own business.

Responded to Kijiji ad

Wilson begantexting and emailingwith a man and woman who responded to her Kijiji ad. Theycalled themselves Peter and Diane Sydneyandtold her they had a two-bedroom house for rent in Ottawa for $900 per month, she said.

They sent pictures and told Wilson the house could be furnished if needed. She declined the furnishings and said everything seemed fine.

Wilson said she sent $900 by electronic transferon Tuesday,the day of the move, and saidPeter textedherto say he'd received it and that his wife would be waiting at the house on Parkglen Drive for the new tenantsto arrive.

But when Wilson arrived at the address with her father, they realized the home was occupied.

Mover mixup

Meanwhile, everything belonging to Wilson and her partner was on its way to Ottawa with a mover driving a U-Haul.

Driver Richard Lalonde told CBC News he could not reach Wilson when he arrived in Ottawa in the middle of the night, and eventually unloaded the contents of the truck in the driveway because he needed the vehicle empty for a morning job in Kingston.

Wilson said she tried to reach Lalonde to let him know not to drop the stuff off, but couldn't reach him.

Lalonde had left Ottawa by the time he received Wilson's message on Wednesday morning, but returned in the afternoon to pick up her belongings.

"I felt so bad," he said.

Mystery pile in driveway

Kit Pullen, the ownerof the house on Parkglen Drive, woke up Wednesday to find the contents of someone's home in hisdriveway, blocking his garage door and the car inside.

He later recalled answeringa knock on his door the night before, but he told the man on his doorstep Wilson's father, it turns out there was no Peter living there. Pullendidn't immediately link the nocturnal visit to the stuff later found piled in his driveway.

The internet, for some reason, seems to lull people into some sort of false sense of security.- Staff-Sgt. Stephanie Burns, Ottawa police

Wilson said she realized she'dbeen duped when her father was turned away from the house she thought she'd rentedand when Peter stopped responding to her messages.

"I think that maybe, yeah, I was a bit naive, but I'm sure there's lots of other people out there that have been in the same situation and I feel for them, that's for sure," she said.

3 rental frauds per month

The head of the Ottawa police fraud unit told CBC News her officers deal with an average of three rental frauds per month, usually during spring and fall when students are moving.

"The internet, for some reason, seems to lull people into some sort of false sense of security," Staff-Sgt. Stephanie Burns said.

KijijiCanada spokesmanShawn McIntyresaid it's oftenpossible to trace rental fraudsters.

"We've seen instances where they just cut and paste the same text into multiple emails to multiple people ... it's a numbers game," he said.

After the difficult ordeal, Wilson said she will take some time to recoverinNapaneebefore trying again to find a place to live in Ottawa.

"It was just too much stress and I just wanted to be home," she said.