Date: Thursday, February 15, 2024
File: 22-31443
Victoria, BC – On Monday afternoon, Brandon Wildman was sentenced to 42 months of jail time after being convicted of seven counts of Fraud Under $5,000 for a series of sophisticated rental frauds involving mostly short-term vacation rentals.
Between March and July 2022, 43-year-old Brandon Wildman defrauded nine victims of over $9,000 in damage deposits and first month’s rent payments.
Officers began a coordinated investigation into Wildman in August 2022 after noticing similarities in suspect descriptions in reported “rental scam” frauds. Investigators determined that Wildman met with prospective tenants, showed them units in a variety of downtown apartment buildings and took damage or security deposits ranging from $750 to $2,250.
Wildman used several aliases when contacting victims and took payment by cash or e-transfer. A photo of Wildman is below.
Photo of Brandon Wildman
In many instances Wildman would enter into a written lease agreement with the prospective tenants, sometimes providing a key fob for the building that Wildman claimed would be activated when the tenancy began. As the move-in date approached, Wildman would cease communication with the prospective tenants, some who then found out that the unit they rented was actually a short-term vacation rental.
On February 12, Wildman was sentenced to 42 months in jail and was ordered to pay restitution to the victims upon release from custody. Wildman’s previous criminal convictions include eight convictions for fraud.
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