Here is a CBC article with an illustrative article about a real estate fraud. Note that variations are more common than one might think. Renters, buyers, sellers should all take care. Everybody wants a great deal, but you also don't want to find out you just fell for a softened version of the Nigerian Prince.
"Fake real estate ads prey on buyer desire for home deal"
A less expensive version occurred recently on our turf. A listing of ours, word for word, showed up on a site flogging homes in foreclosure that you could buy for half of market value. The actual home was on MLS and debt-free. The tease is to get people to subscribe in order to get the addresses.
Know who you are dealing with. And if it's too good to be true ...