Students looking to rent accomodations before school starts are being targeted by an internet scam, according to Ottawa police.

The fraud involves dozens of apartment listings posted on the internet, such as one that university student Mr. Yeaman found  on Craigslist, describing a fully furnished condo right downtown at a rock bottom price.

"I was happy," Yeaman recalled. "I thought I'd found kind of the diamond in the rough."

After emailing the landlord he received an odd reply the following day, saying the landlord was doing missionary work in Africa but could courier the keys to him upon receiving a security deposit.

"I realized it was a scam," Yeaman said, "and I just cut off communication with him."

Unfortunately others haven't been fast enough to perceive that it was a fraud. Hundreds of Ottawa citizens have fallen prey to similar scams year after year, said police.

"If the deal sounds too good to be true, it is untrue," said Const. J.P. Vincelette.

John Dickie is the chair of the Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization. Dickie said students are at risk of these scams.

"At this time of year, students can be rather desperate to rent an apartment."

Const. J.P. Vincelette recommended that students that wish to rent visit first hand what they are renting or have a friend investigate it for them. He further recommended that people use payment methods that provide protection against forgery, and said that the Ottawa Police website has additional tips.

"Don't send money to a person you have never met to reserve a place you have never seen," he added.

Dickie suggested that using websites such as viewit.ca or gottarent.com that record a landlord's address and bank information is a good idea.

Those who do find themselves embroiled in a scam should contact police or Phonebusters so they can keep track of cases.

Police warned that many of the fraud artists operate globally and the number of scams is so vast that police don't have the resources to deal with all of them.

"It would require an incredible amount of manpower."