Ituah Ogun, 33, of Elton Way in Whitby, was charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by Crime, and possession of counterfeit mark. He was released on a promise to appear before a court at a later date.

York cops say victims lost between thousands of dollars to more than $1 million in romance scam.

In the shadowy world of romance scams, one of the hottest commodities is the so-called “suckers list.”

Investigators with the York Regional Police Financial Crimes Unit are warning citizens about a new online romance and investment scam after a significant increase in incidents being reported. This new scam is primarily targeting the Chinese community.

Ottawa police are asking for the public’s help locating a fraud suspect, who allegedly meets his potential victims through online dating sites. The Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit is looking for Rodney Crabtree, 49, of no fixed address in connection to several fraud investigations.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says the number one scam in 2020 was romance fraud with Canadians losing $18.5 million dollars to criminals and the number two top scam was investment fraud with losses of $16.5 million. Now, it appears criminals are starting to use the two scams together.

The International Criminal Police Organization, INTERPOL, warned its 194 member countries, including Canada, about threats of fraud as online dating apps surge during COVID-19.

Montreal (September 18, 2020) – The Sûreté du Quebec announced this week that they dismantled a vast network of romance fraudsters. On September 15, the Quebec provincial police made a dozen arrests in the regions Quebec City, Montreal, and the Outaouais in connection...

Toronto (June 4, 2020) – Toronto police arrested Raymond Coles of Stoney Creek for an online dating fraud on June 2. He is accused of defrauding a woman after they met on a dating website, where he allegedly portrayed himself as a police officer, in January 2018....

Regina (April 20, 2020) – The Saskatchewan RCMP made a breakthrough in a ‘multimillion-dollar’ romance scam investigation that started in 2018. Five men are suspected of defrauding seven women out of up to $2 million. The scams were conducted over a period of two...