Consumer Fraud
Waterloo police issue warning about new used car scam hitting area residents
Waterloo Regional Police have issued a warning about a new used car scam that has recently strike to dupe area residents. Police say the scammers are advertising vehicles as being for sale online. They say a meeting is then arranged between the buyer and seller where...
Rogers scam alert: Texts offering credit after outage are fake
Following a Canada-wide outage of Rogers and a subsequent notice that customers would receive a credit in recompense, scammers took to SMS to try and make a profit out of the misery. On Saturday, July 9, Rogers acknowledged that it knew about the problem. “We are...
Owner of mechanic shop in Lethbridge faces 62 charges after fraud investigation
Police in southern Alberta say an owner of a mechanic shop faces 62 charges after an investigation into alleged fraud. Investigators say they have identified more than two dozen victims and believe there could be more. Police say an investigation started last year...
Toronto police bust brazen moving scam, recover property belonging to 22 families
The Toronto Police Service has announced three suspects are facing several charges in connection with an alleged moving scam that saw items belonging to 22 families being recovered in an east-end warehouse. Const. Chris Long, an officer at 41 Division who has been...
Hamilton man says scammer used his home to promote ad for fake rental unit
In the middle of winter last year, Gary Brown said he and his family encountered a teary-eyed woman at the front door of their Hamilton Mountain home. The woman told Brown she had responded to an online ad that said his basement was available to...
Seniors in N.S., across Canada, targeted in growing number of ‘devastating’ scams
“It’s been devastating for a lot of people,” said Bill VanGorder with the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP). Since the start of the pandemic, VanGorder said scams that occur online or over the phone, are more common than ever. “It’s almost as if the...
Lottery scam costs elderly Nanaimo couple nearly $400,000: RCMP
An elderly Nanaimo couple lost nearly $400,000 after falling victim to a phony lottery scam. According to the Nanaimo RCMP, the scam started in early 2021 when the couple, both in their late ’80s, answered a phone call from someone claiming to be from Reader’s Digest...
Woman jailed for using multiple identities to defraud Caesars Windsor
A Toronto area woman who racked up bills totalling almost $4,500 during a visit to Caesars Windsor while armed with bank cards and identification stolen from multiple people was sentenced Monday to eight months in jail. Kelly McCarthy, 33, was originally charged with...
Ontario Energy Board warns of email rebate scams
If you get an email that looks like it’s from the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) about rebate programs, be extra careful. The board is warning of email scams making the rounds and the emails often look like they’re from them, but they’re not. They typically inlcude a link...
Multiple incidents of taxi fraud scams reported in Toronto
Toronto police warn the public of ongoing taxi fraud scams in the city and advising that all riders be extra vigilant when riding in a cab. According to a public safety alert from police, multiple taxi fraud scams have been reported in Toronto recently, and the incidents closely resemble the scams that saw six people arrested for stealing millions from unsuspecting customers around the GTA in January of 2019.
Utility providers warn against recent scams
Toronto (December 7, 2020) – The busy holiday season is prime time for scammers looking to take advantage of unsuspecting victims – especially leading into weekends. In response to increased fraudulent activity across the province, Ontario’s four largest electricity...
London police arrested wanted woman for allegedly stealing from seniors in PSW fraud
London (December 2, 2020) – The London police arrested a wanted woman, Amanda Lee Rose Albert, posing as a Personal Support Worker (PSW) two weeks after issuing an arrest warrant against her for multiple fraud and theft charges. Albert is accused of stealing from...
How to protect yourself against fraud while shopping or selling online this holiday season
November 26, 2020 – ‘Keep the Grinch out of the holidays,’ warns the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) in their recent bulletin on holiday scams. Fraudsters are taking advantage of people’s increased online activity during the pandemic and especially during events as...
ASC: Convicted Ponzi scammer permanently banned from capital market
Calgary (November 25, 2020) – The Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) permanently prohibited Edmonton man, Timothy Ray Carruthers, from participating in Alberta’s capital market on November 17, after he was convicted for a Ponzi scheme at the Court of Queen’s Bench of...
Burlington man charged with alleged $1.3 million Ponzi scheme
Burlington (November 20, 2020) – The Halton police laid charges against Francesco Perre from Burlington in connection with an alleged $1.3 million Ponzi scheme. He is accused of soliciting investments from his victims for a stock market investment program. However,...
Winnipeg funeral director charged with fraud in connection with prepaid funeral plans
Winnipeg (November 9, 2020) – The Winnipeg police charged former local funeral director, Chad Robert Wheeler, for defrauding families out of their prepaid funeral costs. He has been charged with Fraud Over $5,000. 76 prepaid funeral plans were sold at Wheeler Funeral...
London financial advisor accused of $1.5M investment fraud
London (October 30, 2020) – The London police laid fraud charges against the financial advisor, Chanrith Yin, in relation to investment fraud. He is accused of bilking six of his clients out of $1.5 million during a six-year period. The police allege that he convinced...
Calgary man, wanted for multimillion-dollar funding scam, turned himself in after returning from Czech Republic
Lethbridge (September 28, 2020) – The Calgary man, Josef Korec, who was wanted for his role in a multimillion-dollar funding scam, turned himself in to Lethbridge police on September 23 after returning from the Czech Republic. Two months ago, the Lethbridge...
Three Canadians charged with securities fraud for U.S. pump-and-dump scheme
San Diego, USA (September 25, 2020) – The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of California laid charges against four men – three of them Canadians – over their roles in an alleged pump-and-dump scheme and a stock market manipulation ring. Ongkaruck...
Three Ottawa snow removal companies face fraud charges
Ottawa (September 21, 2020) – The Ottawa police laid fraud charges against three Ottawa snow removal companies. Investigators accused Snow Vaporizers, Faul Properties, and Altitude Snow Removal of accepting money from customers for snow removal services last winter,...
Barrie man charged with $56 million Ponzi scheme involving debit card terminals
Barrie (September 16, 2020) – The OPP charged the Barrie man, Charles Debono, with fraud, bribery, money laundering, and forgery for an alleged $56 million Ponzi scheme, which supposedly defrauded hundreds of victims over six years. The ‘landmark international fraud...