It's a typical situation in Victoria's red hot property market.

Craig and Jackie Hiebert's landlord is looking to sell and they are frantically searching for a new rental, fearing they will soon be out.

"As soon as our spidey senses were tingling we started looking at the market, and that was pretty terrifying," said Craig Hiebert.

The Hiebert's search has been hampered by a shortage of suitable listings in Victoria's rental market that has almost zero vacancies.

To make matters worse, some of the listings that looked promising were not what they seemed, when they went to view the properties.

Craig Hiebert and his wife Jackie are on the hunt for a new house to rent because their landlord is planning to sell, but the search has not gone smoothly so far. (Megan Thomas/CBC)

After corresponding by email with the supposed owner of one home listed online, Hiebert said he arrived to find a sign in the window indicating the home was never for rent and was the subject of an online scam.

Another home the couple attempted to view didn't exist at all when they went to find the address. Hiebert believes fraudsters are fishing for deposits or personal information in a vulnerable market.

"Everyone is desperate to find a place. The vacancy rate is so incredibly low, there's not a lot to choose from," he said.

Too good to be true

There is concern that desperate house hunters could become prime targets for scams, said Const. Matt Rutherford with Victoria Police.

"Maybe they, without thinking about it, might hand out money or give out personal information," he said.

"We just want to encourage people to take a step back and do a little research."

People should be wary of any listing that seems too good to be true, or anyone offering a rental who claims they can't meet in person before exchanging information.

"If somebody is asking for personal information like your SIN number or specific details like date of birth through email without meeting them, without seeing the suite, that would cause some red flags for me," Rutherford said.

"Usually with these scams we see the potential landlord claiming they are not in town so they are unable to meet the potential tenant, which in some cases might be legitimate, but in a lot of cases it is fraud."

The search continues

The Hieberts did not hand over money or personal information to the people behind any of the questionable listings they have come across.

As for the search for a new place to live, Hiebert says if it comes to it, they can move in with his in-laws.

"Isn't that a wake-up call for the 21st century when your kids are actually in their 50s and they are coming back to live at home," he said.

"That should be a challenge if that happens. I'm confident there will be some place for us."