They are scam artists and bad tenants.

Mentioned before but this is devastating for those taken by this scam....https://www.yahoo.com/news/hackers-target-real-est...

This scam was pretty obvious but some might not be.

HOWEVER, your definition is an excellent one and if investors reading this paid attention, they would avoid a lot of the scam companies who we read about on here daily.As for your second point, there are several very high quality companies who have been operating for well over 10 years who have built their entire brands on their reputations for service and excellence. 

The system is different in Canada than in the US and the vast majority of those on welfare are leaches scamming the system.

It is probably a scam artist trying to get your money.

GenerousBut the money upfront, that seemed odd and my scam alarms starting going off.

Sounds like you're being baited into a typical scam or you're a scammer about to try to bait someone else into a scam.

I joined the forum and listen to the podcasts because i felt that this was one place that was real, that wasn't a gimmick or scam and primarily bc they allowed free exchange of information and education.

Have you verified to make sure you are not being scammed out of your money