Romance & Relationship Fraud
Ottawa Valley resident loses $50,000 in ‘romance scam’
Police in Pembroke are investigating after a resident lost more than $50,000 in a romance scam. The victim entered into an online relationship and sent thousands of dollars over several months to a scammer in a foreign country, Upper Ottawa Valley OPP said in a news...
Fraudsters use Valentine’s Day to target vulnerable Canadians
Authorities in Canada are using Valentine’s Day to remind the public that if the person you met online recently starts asking for money or to start investing in a new venture, that is a serious red flag. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) issued an alert this month...
Toronto woman loses life savings in romance scam!
When a handsome stranger started chatting with Cindy Browne on TikTok, she was intrigued. They quickly started talking on WhatsApp and bonded over their shared difficulty in love: He told her his wife had died of cancer. She told him her first husband had...
Senior is lost $106,000 from CryptoRom scam
An Ontario man is scammed out $106,000 of his retirement money. The victim said he will likely have to sell his home as a result. Sylvester, from Oshawa, who did not want to provide his surname, said he is devastated and left completely lost after realizing he had...
Transfers During an Affair held not to be a Gift and Ordered Returned
A woman must repay her ex-lover $96,000 pre and post-judgment interest and litigation costs, because she failed to prove in court that the money her ex-lover transferred to her was a gift. The plaintiff, Peter Walker, who was married at the time, had an affair with...
A Young Women from Oakville is Charged with Fraud in a Romance Scam
A 21-year-old woman from Oakville is one of the multiple people arrested by police for a series of frauds related to a romance scam operating in Burlington. The woman has been arrested and charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over...
W5 uncovers global network of organized crime targeting Canadians in romance scams
On Colleen’s computer there were the thousands of chats, with someone who went by the name of Ryan Scott, an online man she had fallen in love with. Little did she know that Ryan was a fraud and his photos were stolen from someone else to carry out an elaborate scam.
Women band together against alleged Cambridge ‘Online Casanova’
The Times has agreed to use only the first names of the women involved to protect their privacy.
Romance scam bilked Huron County senior out of $700K
OPP are investigating after being contacted by the victim’s daughter
Alberta RCMP warn of Facebook dating app scam
Albeta RCMP are warning the public about a Facebook fraud scam. RCMP recently received a complaint about a citizen who was a victim of a relationship/dating scam.
Scam defrauds St. Albert resident $7,500 in romance scam: RCMP
Police said the resident met a man on the Facebook dating app and began a friendship for about six months.
Japanese man arrested for tricking 35 girlfriends to give him gifts for fake birthdays
A man in Japan allegedly dated 35 women at the same time just to manipulate them into giving him lavish gifts for made-up birthdays.
Whitby man arrested after alleged online romance scam cost victim over $340,000
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.
Romance scam primarily targeting Chinese community bilks victims out of $1.8M
York cops say victims lost between thousands of dollars to more than $1 million in romance scam.
The ‘suckers list’: How scammers repeatedly target victims
In the shadowy world of romance scams, one of the hottest commodities is the so-called “suckers list.”
Losses linked to online scam targeting York Region Chinese community tally $1.8M
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 says fraud suspect meets victims on online dating sites and by claiming to be a contractor
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.
Online investment scam costs Toronto-area woman $80,000
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.
INTERPOL warns of romance fraud after surge in dating app users
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.
Quebec network of romance fraudsters dismantled
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...
Stoney Creek man arrested for online dating fraud
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....