Construction Fraud
20 people charged in Ontario tow truck war revealing fraudulent and criminal activities
Greater Toronto Area (May 29, 2020) – The York police laid nearly 200 charges against 20 people in connection with an organized crime investigation regarding the escalated tow truck war in Ontario. The authorities identified several organized crime groups who have...
Five B.C. residents allegedly involved in US$15 million pyramid Ponzi scheme
Vancouver (May 28, 2020) – The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) accused five B.C. residents of helping to promote a U.S. based Ponzi and pyramid scheme in connection with fake gold mining operations. Monita Hung Mui Chan, Sabrina Ling Huei Wei, Justin...
Vancouver fraudster remains in jail despite COVID-19 Pandemic
Breaking Court Decisions: Fraudster Rene Eric Berlinguette of Vancouver, BC, to remain in Jail Despite COVID-19 Pandemic On March 24, 2020, Justice Riley of the BC Supreme Court heard a bail hearing brought by convicted fraudster Rene Eric Berlinguette, 43 years old,...
Facebook agrees to $9.5 million settlement over misleading privacy claims
Gatineau (May 26, 2020) – Facebook agreed to pay a $9.5 million penalty over a federal probe into misleading privacy claims. A Competition Bureau investigation found that the social media giant made false or misleading claims about the privacy of Canadians’ personal...
Two men arrested in advance fee fraud scheme investigation
Toronto (May 25, 2020) – The Toronto police arrested two men on May 12 for allegedly stealing $600,000 posing as lawyers settling a class-action lawsuit in an advance fee scheme. Erik Ariel Fishman (40) and Joseph Simon Rassi (32) are accused of contacting people who...
COVID-19 scams exploiting government funding programs such as CERB
May 22, 2020 – Many Canadians are experiencing financial hardship as a consequence of the current pandemic. The Canadian government launched the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to help out Canadians throughout the Coronavirus crisis with a multi-billion...
Vancouver stock promoter sentenced for fraud and tax evasion
Vancouver (May 21, 2020) – Vancouver mining consultant and stock promoter, Damien Edward Reynolds, received a conditional sentence for fraud and tax evasion. He was charged in 2017 for defrauding the Canadian government of an amount prosecutors estimated at more than...
Suspect arrested in Toronto prescription fraud investigation
Toronto (May 20, 2020) – The Toronto police arrested and charged Adam Hossny on May 18 with multiple charges as a result of a prescription fraud investigation. The 25-year-old is accused of presenting fraudulent prescriptions at multiple pharmacies in Toronto. He was...
OPP warn against emergency scam targeting grandparents
Fort Frances (May 19, 2020) – The Fort Frances OPP is warning against a ‘sinister’ emergency scam targeting grandparents in the Rainy River district area over the past month. The phone scammer posed as the lawyer hired to defend the grandchild who they claim to be in...
BCSC longest-ever sentence for Venezuelan hedge fund investment fraud
Victoria (May 15, 2020) – A B.C. Provincial Court convicted James Warring Minnie, a.k.a. Terry James Minnie, for a Venezuelan hedge fund investment fraud and imposed the longest sentence ever resulting from a British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) criminal...
Man charged with obstruction of police and fraud for claiming his wife had COVID-19
Chatham (May 13, 2020) – Chatham-Kent police charged a 55-year-old man for obstruction of police and fraud because he allegedly told officers his wife had been diagnosed with COVID-19 although it was not true. Police believe that he tried to interfere with their...
Better Business Bureau warns against scams targeting small businesses
May 11, 2020 – The Better Business Bureau warns against scams that target small businesses in a press release. Scams can impact every business, regardless of location, size, or industry. Nevertheless, small businesses are often more vulnerable to fall victim of fraud...
Convicted fraudster released on bail due to COVID-19 – although pandemic is no instant get-out-of-jail-free card
Toronto (May 8, 2020) – The convicted fraudster and disbarred lawyer, Marshall Kazman, was released on bail after four months in prison. The Court of Appeal for Ontario granted the application pending an appeal of his conviction to the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) on...
B.C. tech firm settles scam allegations for US$6.75 million
Victoria (May 7, 2020) – The B.C. e-commerce company, RevenueWire, reached a deal with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in connection with tech scam allegations. The Victoria-based company and its CEO, Roberta Leach, agreed to pay US$6.75 million to settle...
Man wanted for rental fraud in Toronto
Toronto (May 6, 2020) – Toronto police are looking for the 37-year-old man, Sungjin Kim, for multiple counts of fraud in connection with a rental fraud investigation. He allegedly defrauded 20 people while collecting first and last month’s rent for a room in Toronto,...
Police disrupted international multi-level BEC scam
Edmonton (May 5, 2020) – The Edmonton police disrupted an international multi-level Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam targeting personal protective equipment (PPE) and industrial equipment companies. As a result of the fraud investigation, the police helped recover...
1,500 unauthorized COVID-19 test kits seized from Richmond online seller
Richmond (May 1, 2020) – In a joint effort, BC RCMP and Health Canada seized 1,500 unauthorized COVID-19 test kits from a Richmon resident. The accused allegedly sold the kits online to unsuspecting British Columbians. The investigation resulted from a tip provided by...
Investor Alert: Crestview Exploration mailing
Crestview Exploration mailing exploits fear of Coronavirus recession April 30, 2020 – Investment fraudsters are taking advantage of people’s fears of a Coronavirus recession and are using them to manipulate their victims. Aggressive stock promotion is a technique of...
Police arrest two men allegedly tied to organized auto fraud ring
Greater Toronto Area (April 29, 2020) – Halton police’s Fraud Unit arrested two men from Mississauga in connection with an alleged organized auto fraud ring. Muhammed Khoshnaw (59) and Mohammed Hussein (29) are facing fraud-related charges as a result of an...
Identity fraud lab uncovered in Cambridge
Waterloo (April 29, 2020) – Waterloo police uncovered a ‘significant identity fraud lab’ in Cambridge on April 23. The authorities executed a search warrant at a Cambridge business and seized various credit cards, bogus identification, and electronic devices....
Investment scams in the COVID-19 era
April 28, 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic created an environment in which fraud thrives. People are self-isolating at home, economic and market volatility around the world, widespread job losses, and other stressors. These factors leave people with uncertainty,...