The rental market has become increasingly competitive, and with that comes a rise in rental scams looking to target desperate would-be tenants.

Fraudsters prey on people who are in a bind and in a hurry to find a place to rent, as emotions can make people more vulnerable.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says Canadians have lost $1.4 million in the last three years to online rental scams. The Better Business Bureau claims that 50 percent of those looking for a rental home will likely encounter online scams on sites like Craigslist, Kijiji, and Facebook.

Sherwin Flight, the administrator of the Newfoundland Tenant and Landlord Support Group Facebook page, says unfortunately people keep falling victim to the scams, but there are ways to protect themselves.

He advises seeing the place and meeting the landlord in person, not sending money for a place up front, and never giving more than the first month’s rent and a security deposit. Also at city hall in St. John’s there are computers that you can use to look up any address and it will tell you who the legal owner is. There is no contact information but Flight says at least that way you can see if you are actually dealing with the owner of the home.