A Canadian Running investigation has uncovered an alleged scheme in which a Mississauga man created fake charity road races on Eventbrite, collecting tens of thousands of dollars in registration fees for events that never took place. Runners arrived to empty start lines, charities listed as beneficiaries say they never received donations, and several races appear to have used recycled photos and fabricated details.
A Mississauga man is accused of operating a widespread road-race scam that took advantage of runners signing up for charity events. An investigation by Canadian Running found that Lev Mokhosov allegedly used Eventbrite to advertise counterfeit races under multiple aliases, collecting registration fees for events that never occurred.
Runners who registered for a Remembrance Day race in Toronto discovered no start line, volunteers or race infrastructure when they arrived on Nov. 9. About thirty participants had paid fees, but the organizer listed on Eventbrite said refunds were unavailable. He later emailed participants claiming the race had been cancelled due to unexpected weather, and that charity donations were “pending,” although the Royal Canadian Legion says it never received a contribution.
Other events followed a similar pattern. A Canada Day race in Toronto, advertised as a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, was cancelled a day before it was scheduled. Mokhosov claimed it had been rescheduled in Mississauga, but runners say they were never informed and no evidence suggests a race occurred. Charities connected to these events confirmed they received no donations.
The investigation identified at least ten races connected to Mokhosov’s aliases since 2024, including St. Patrick’s Day and Victoria Day events. Promotional photos used in the listings were taken from legitimate races in other cities. In several cases, participants realized something was wrong only when no pre-race communication arrived.
Race Roster, another event-hosting platform, says it blocked Mokhosov’s IP address in 2024 after concerns were raised about fabricated events, issuing refunds to affected registrants. Eventbrite has paid out thousands of dollars connected to the listings and says it is investigating.
Mokhosov has denied wrongdoing, claiming his events have raised funds and brought runners together. The total amount collected through the alleged scheme remains unclear, but investigators estimate the known registrations for two races alone totalled roughly ten thousand dollars. In Ontario, fraud over five thousand dollars is an indictable offence.
