Big White, British Columbia — If you’re an employee (or plan to be one) at a ski resort who is also looking for housing, this story is a good reminder to be on the lookout for scammers.
Global News reports that seasonal employees at Big White Ski Resort are falling victim to scams from supposed community members. In response, the ski resort is increasing its advocacy for employees regarding these scammers.
In the two weeks before Global News published the article, 12 to 15 employees were scammed into sending housing deposits to these thieves, totaling more than $15,000 CAD in losses.
“They’re pretending that this is their condo, their unit, and that it’s for rent for the year. You just have to send a deposit and it’s yours,” said Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice-President at Big White, to Global News. “Unfortunately, (staff) are finding out the hard way that it is completely fake… People need to be aware that everything you see on the internet you might not want to believe.”
Big White is partially mitigating this by expanding its employee housing. This included a new employee housing facility that opened last year. Unfortunately, demand is currently outstripping supply.
“We’ve spent over $25 million [CAD] building apartments. We now have 676 units for our staff to stay on the mountain,” said Ballingall. “But the mountain’s grown; it’s now well over 1,800 staff members wanting to play and work up at the resort.”
In addition, Big White has a section on its employee housing page warning workers about these scammers.
While this is one of the first headlines I’ve seen about scammers targeting the ski resort employees, scammers are nothing new and have probably done similar things to others across the ski industry. So if you’re looking for employee housing at Big White, or at any mountain in general, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
“You want to do your research before you provide any money in advance,” said Simone Lis of the Better Business Bureau to Global News. “If they are asking you to do things that seem outside of common practice, like give a damage deposit and pay your first month’s rent right away, those are red flags…If you contact them and there’s a lot of pressure to put a deposit down now, or to pay through something like a wire transfer that isn’t reversible, be cautious.”
What’s New At Big White
Big white has had a busy offseason, as the BC ski resort previously announced $9.4 million CAD in improvements. This includes a renovation to the Village Centre, lift refurbishments, parking lot expansions, brush clearing on 15 trails, and more.
Click here to read more about Big White’s 2025 offseason upgrades.
Image/Video Credits: Big White Ski Resort
