FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, December 21, 2023 11:45 am
(Ottawa) —The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit would like to warn the community about fraudulent Liens on personal property (known as Notice of Security Interest-NOSI) and Mortgages that may be occurring in the Ottawa Area. Police has received information that individuals may be attempting to defraud unsuspecting homeowners in the City.
“This scam works when individuals knock on your door suggesting they can do free or nearly free repairs, or appliance installation in your home or consolidate outstanding debts into a mortgage,” said Staff Sergeant Cameron Graham with the Organized Fraud Unit. “The scam can take many months to play out before people realize they have been taken advantage of and can lead to the loss of individual’s homes to loan companies.”
The Ottawa Police offers Ottawa residents the following tips:
Be suspicious if a financial company approaches you, unsolicited at your home, indicating they can help you get out of payments or to consolidate your debt – especially for previous liens against your property.
Ask yourself: why is this person offering to help and how do they know about your own personal situation?
Remember no renovations are free and you could be paying through a lien.
Never share personal information or copies of any bills, financial statements, or mortgage papers with someone who knocks on your door.
Do not give in to high-pressure sales techniques - where decisions have to be made on the spot. Always involve people you trust for more oversight into this type of decision making.
Do not sign blank documents.
“We encourage everyone to talk about this type of fraud with friends and family, especially older and vulnerable people,” added Staff Sergeant Graham. “If you have contact with a vulnerable loved one, talk with them about how their banks can prevent suspicious money withdrawals.”
If you are concerned that a loved one has become a victim, you can check if there are liens against their home through the Ontario Land Registry Access ONLAND portal.
If you think you have been the victim of this type of fraud, please make a report online with the Ottawa Police Service and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by phone at 1-888-495-8501 (toll-free).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, October 27, 2023 1:15 pm
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service East Criminal Investigations Unit is seeking public assistance in identifying a suspect involved in several frauds across the city in August 2023.
The suspect entered the same commercial store located in Kanata, Barrhaven, Nepean, and Gloucester several times that month and purchased items with a fraudulent card.
Anyone with information as to the identity of this suspect, or information about these incidents, is asked to contact Det. Fortin of the East Criminal Investigations Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 3566.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, September 29, 2023 2:15 pm
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service’s (OPS) Fraud Unit is warning residents to proceed cautiously with any door-to-door contractor sales after receiving an increase in the number of reports from residents.
In the past two weeks, the Fraud Unit has received five reports, with an estimated loss of $250,000 to Ottawa-area residents.
“It’s always the same pitch, they say they’re already in the area working on a neighbour’s home and can offer a great deal,” said Fraud Unit Acting Sergeant Shaun Wahbeh. “Most of the reports we are receiving identify the suspects as white males, typically in pairs, ages 40 to 50, with Irish or Scottish accents.”
The high-pressure sales pitch typically is for very expensive work, including foundation repair, which can cost upwards of $100,000. Money is asked for upfront, and in most cases the work is started but never completed, leaving the homeowner to foot the bill to clean up and complete the job.
“Protect yourself when you meet these folks at the door,” said A/Sgt. Wahbeh. “These individuals tend to rotate from city to city with the same scam and we started to see them return to Ottawa last month.”
When hiring contractors, a reputable business will take time to go through a contract and provide you with a quote for reasonable market rates. You can establish things like a ceiling on contingency costs as well as whether to pay a flat or hourly rate in a written contract. Be smart and look up the business on reputable websites like the Better Business Bureau, make calls to other contractors to ask for quotes to compare, and ask for references you can call. If the price being quoted sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
“The best thing you can do is to take their information and then do your research,” said A/Sgt. Wahbeh. “The more they pressure you to hand over money or act quickly or lose the opportunity, it’s a signal to walk away.”
If you need help determining whether something is a scam or not, you can always contact our partners at Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario by dialling 211.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, September 1, 2023 1:45 pm
(Ottawa) —The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is warning the public that there has been a significant increase in the risk of financial loss when conducting purchases through Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji.
In recent weeks, the Fraud Unit has received an increase in reports of fake ticket sales for the sold-out Taylor Swift concerts, with some complainants losing upwards of $2,000. Ottawa residents have lost more than $12,000 to this scam in the last three days alone.
Use caution if you are making an online purchase with an unknown seller. Fraud Unit Investigators are seeing a recent trend where buyers place large deposits on unseen goods with unknown sellers, only to never receive the product. It’s vital to take the time to meet with the seller, inspect what you are buying, and question anything that seems too good to be true. If you are not sure how to proceed, you can call our partners at Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario by dialling 211 or visiting 211ontario.ca, and they can help walk you through any questions.
New trend: Reverse e-transfer scams
We are also seeing a new trend of reverse e-transfer scams where residents think they receive payment or a deposit for goods. Sellers will often click links without carefully reviewing them, which gives criminals access to their banking information. Criminals are using fake and hacked social media accounts that look legitimate and then redirect the money to fraudulent bank accounts.
According to the RCMP, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported that they received fraud and cybercrime reports totalling a staggering $530 million in victim losses. Nearly a 40% increase from the unprecedented $380 million in losses in 2021. They further indicate that, unfortunately, the increase in financial loss isn’t tied to an increase in reporting—the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that only 5 to 10% of people report fraud.
“While police are there to help, and we will investigate and lay charges where warranted, a lot of these incidents rely on the courts to determine the process, including deciding what restitution is appropriate, which can often take years to resolve,” said Fraud Unit Investigator Constable Shaun Wahbeh. “This really is a buyer-beware situation, and residents need to be smart about how they shop online.”
If you have been defrauded, please file a report online at ottawapolice.ca/report. If you’re not sure, contact 211.
Visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which monitors trends that help to inform the public on how to avoid falling victim to new and emerging scams.
Landlord shows dead ferret allegedly left in freezer by vexatious litigant
14 hours ago
Duration0:30
Mark Gallant said he was shocked when he learned of Althea Reyes's history, but he was even more surprised after she moved out of his rental unit and he opened his freezer to find a dead ferret inside. Reyes, 56, was arrested in early August and faces charges including fraud, personation and uttering a forged document.
A woman known for using multiple aliases and being a vexatious litigant is accused of leaving a dead ferret in the freezer of a man who thought he was offering short-term accommodation to her brother, who may not actually exist.
Althea Reyes was designated a vexatious litigant in 2017 for repeatedly launching civil proceedings against people and businesses. The judge at the time said Reyes would "harass her foes" by using civil courts.
Reyes, 56, was arrested in early August and faced charges on 20 criminal offences including fraud over $5,000, personation and uttering a forged document.
When Ottawa police announced the initial charges, they said they were still investigating and more charges could follow.
That happened last week: Reyes is now accused of a combined total of 37 criminal and provincial offences in relation to alleged fraudulent activity.
CBC News has learned of other alleged victims who say they've gone to police about Reyes.
Althea Reyes walks out of a Toronto courtroom in 2016. (Jesse McLean/The Toronto Star)
Woman called 'out of the blue'
Mark Gallant said he was golfing when he met a woman named Rhose Mohaned. He mentioned to her he occasionally loaned his place out to people while he was travelling. The two got along well that day and exchanged numbers.
Gallant said he didn't hear from her until a few months later in February, when she called "out of the blue."
The woman, Gallant said, was looking for a place where her brother and his family could stay temporarily while they waited for their own home to be ready. Gallant said he was travelling at the time and thought it would be a nice way to help a new acquaintance.
"She moved in with their dogs and all her belongings here right from the get-go," he said. "I knew there was something up at that point, but we didn't realize the extent of what was going on."
Gallant alleged Mohaned failed to make payments despite an informal agreement between the two, and said their emails and exchanges soon took a turn "that just didn't seem to be right."
Althea Reyes is known to the courts for using multiple aliases over the years. (CBC)
"The short-term accommodation was for three weeks, maybe three and a half, four weeks until the house was ready for a brother," Gallant said. "But after a week or two, I kind of got the impression that there was something fishy about the arrangement."
Gallant said Mohaned started requesting to stay in the house for as long as seven months, but he wasn't prepared to accommodate her because it was his own residence and that wasn't their agreement.
Using an alias
Gallant said he returned to the house about two weeks after Mohaned moved in and told her the arrangement wasn't working.
"I basically changed the locks and locked her out, and thank God I did that because after that, at that moment is when I kind of found out who she really was," he said.
Subsequently, Gallant began to doubt if she even had a brother or sister-in-law, and said no evidence of their existence was ever provided to him. CBC News has also been unable to confirm the existence of Reyes's relatives.
CBC's story examined a woman going by the name Maxine Adwella who was known as the head of the National Collaboration for Youth Mental Health (NCYMH). According to its website, the organization spent more than 20 years advocating for racially and culturally specific mental health services for young people.
But a 2020 court judgment found that a woman named Maxine Adwella is actually an alias used by Reyes.
Following that story, a lawsuit was launched against CBC by a Kamala Tiwari, but a Superior Court judge ruled in 2022 that any notion that the person behind the litigation could be anyone but Reyes "defies belief." The lawsuit was tossed.
A grisly discovery
Gallant said he was shocked when he learned of Reyes's history, but he was even more surprised after she had moved out and he opened his freezer to find a dead ferret inside.
"We have it on ice," he told CBC. "[Reyes] claims [it] is being used for taxidermy, but it's been six months sitting in here."
Reyes is captured on a doorbell camera during her stay at Mark Gallant's house earlier this year. (Mark Gallant)
Gallant has held onto the ferret, as well as some of Reyes's other belongings.
He did so because a Rhose MacDonald — a name later changed on the documents to Ziyan MacDonald — unsuccessfully tried taking him to Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board. Gallant said he waited for the case, and a subsequent appeal, to be dismissed.
No Rhose or Ziyan MacDonald ever showed at the hearings and the board tossed the case. Gallant said he has never met anyone with those names.
Gallant said he hasn't seen Reyes since March, and has been in contact with police about his experiences with her.
Suspicious encounter with neighbour
CBC News has spoken with another person who contacted police after an interaction with a woman he believed to be Reyes.
James Cybulsi first met the woman when she rented an apartment in the same Ottawa building he lives in, sometime around the summer of 2020.
He said he knew her as Maxine Adwella, and the two first interacted in February 2021 when she came to his apartment asking to use his phone to contact her sister.
"I gave her my phone and instead of using it to make a phone call she scrolled and used the keyboard," Cybulski says. "And then I took it away from her."
He said he was upset in the moment but took no further action at the time. A few months later he was scrolling through his phone and noticed that his Google account had been used to give the National Collaboration for Youth Mental Health, the organization connected to Reyes in CBC's 2021 story, a five-star review.
The NCYMH maintains an online presence but it is not registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency. Its status was revoked in 2022 for a failure to file, and a 24-hour help line associated with it does not appear to be in service.
Reyes is facing a total of 37 criminal charges and provincial offences in relation to alleged fraudulent activity. (Ottawa Police Service)
Another attempted lawsuit
The NCYMH is a registered not-for-profit, but a broker representing the building listed as its registered office address said the group has never used the premises. Neither Reyes nor any of her known aliases is included on the group's list of directors.
Cybulsi believed Adwella was actually Reyes, and raised his concerns to the building manager. In March, Reyes tried suing Cybulski, the building's manager and its owner.
The civil claim was initiated in the name of Social Justice Network, but the court determined it was actually Reyes and tossed the case.
Superior Court Justice Heather Williams determined the Social Justice Network lacked the capacity to start a legal action, and concluded the lawsuit was "another in a series of actions started by Althea Reyes to harass people or organizations she is unhappy with."
"Once again, Ms. Reyes has used a name other than her own to start an action without seeking leave of the court, as her status as a vexatious litigant requires her to do," the decision said.
During the proceedings, a person claiming to be Rhose Mohaned briefly appeared on behalf of the Social Justice Network.
Speaking out to warn others
Cybulski and Gallant say they're speaking out to warn others about Reyes.
"We want the attorney general to take some sort of action to make sure that Althea Reyes doesn't do this again, like her criminal activities and her vexatious litigations," Cybulski said, noting that Reyes's designation as a vexatious litigant hasn't stopped her from continuing to use courts and tribunals.
Given her history, Gallant is also concerned for others who may have crossed paths with Reyes and are unaware of her history.
"People that aren't as lucky as myself to have people that have been helping out, in terms of the connections," he said, referring to those who helped him delve into her past.
Reyes was first arrested Aug. 1, and is currently out on bail. None of the allegations against her has been proven in court. A lawyer representing Reyes declined to comment to CBC for this story.
Reyes told CBC earlier this week she is innocent of the charges against her and would be happy to grant an interview once her trial is complete.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, August 1st, 2023 2:50 pm
(Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit arrested and charged a woman following an investigation into multiple incidents of identity theft and online fraudulent activity.
Althea Maxine REYES, 56 years old of Ottawa, was arrested on July 31st and charged with 20 criminal charges, including:
Fraud Over $5000
Possession Under $5000
Personation
Possess Identity Information
Obtain by False Pretense
Utter Forge Document
The police investigation continues and further charges may be laid.
The charged woman is known to use aliases, and police are releasing her photo to seek further victims.
Police are asking anyone with information on criminal incidents involving the charged person is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5190 or file a report online.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
Althea Reyes walks out of a Toronto courtroom. (Jesse McLean/The Toronto Star)
An Ottawa woman charged this week with multiple fraud-related offences is known for using multiple aliases and being a vexatious litigant in Ontario courts.
Althea Maxine Reyes, 56, is facing charges on 20 criminal offences including fraud over $5,000, personation and uttering a forged document.
Court records show the alleged crimes happened between 2019 and May 2023.
Reyes is accused of knowingly using forged documents, like a lease agreement, a rental application and a credit application. She is also accused of defrauding a car company of an automobile.
Police say they are still investigating and more charges could be coming.
Because Reyes is known by courts and police to use different aliases they are hoping by releasing her photo, more victims could come forward.
Reyes was deemed a vexatious litigant in 2017 for repeatedly launching civil proceedings against people and businesses.
The judge said at that time Reyes would "harass her foes" by using civil courts.
She was banned from initiating court action without prior approval from a judge.
But court documents show Reyes, using names other than her own, continued to use the courts to try to sue people and companies.
Those efforts have repeatedly been tossed out.
In a legal proceeding earlier this year, Reyes tried suing a company owning an apartment building, the building's manager and a former resident using the name of a business that wasn't incorporated.
Superior Court Justice Heather Williams determined the company lacked the capacity to start a legal action, and concluded the lawsuit was "another in a series of actions started by Althea Reyes to harass people or organizations she is unhappy with."
"Once again, Ms. Reyes has used a name other than her own to start an action without seeking leave of the court, as her status as a vexatious litigant requires her to do," the decision tossing the matter said.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 22, 2023 11:45 am
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an additional three suspects involved in a theft on April 7, in the 300 block of Montreal Rd.
Following the theft incident, at approximately 3:30 am, these suspects proceeded to use the victim’s credit cards at a commercial store in the 300 block of Montreal Road.
Suspect 1 is described as a black male, medium build, with facial hair. He was seen wearing a beige and black jacket and a green and black hat.
Suspect 2 is described as a black male, medium build. He was seen wearing a black “puffer” style jacket with red hood lining and a beige shirt.
Suspect 3 is described as a black male, medium build, with facial hair. He was seen wearing a black shirt under a black hoodie and a black “North Face” baseball hat.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Robbery Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5116.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 1, 2023 9:25 am
Suspect to identify in Montreal Road Robbery
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a female suspect involved in a personal robbery on April 7, in the 300 block of Montreal Rd.
At approximately 2:15 am, several individuals engaged in a physical altercation with the victim. The victim had his personal property stolen and sustained serious injuries that are non-life-threatening.
The female suspect is described as white with long dark hair and tattoos on her hands. She was last seen wearing a black shirt and torn blue jeans.
The other suspects in this incident have been identified.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Robbery Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5116.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, May 12, 2023 11:55 am
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service is warning residents to be vigilant about agreeing to any repair work on roofs or driveways with door to door paving or roofing contractors.
The Fraud Unit has received 10 complaints in the past month about residents hiring these contractors, only to be scammed out of money.
“These guys are very organized, they will go up on your roof and come back with a photo that shows serious damage to scare their victims, only it’s a photo that was taken somewhere else,” said Fraud Unit Sergeant Chantal Arsenault. “And when they are at your door they will agree to lower their fees and push you to make a decision, taking large upfront cash payments, and then will either not complete the work or disappear.”
As we head into a heavy season for home improvement, it’s important to protect yourself. While most contractors are reputable, be skeptical of any that ask you for a lot of money upfront or offer incredibly low deals. And if they are pressuring you to respond quickly, just walk away.
For any work that you agree to have done on your home, get everything in writing before you hand over any money, including details of the exact work to be completed along with an agreed monetary limit on any extra costs.
You can protect yourself by verifying their business profile on places like the Better Business Bureau or by calling our partners at 211 to learn how to best proceed.
If you have been the victim of a contractor scam, you can visit our website to file a fraud report online.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:05 pm
(Ottawa) – On May 5th, a woman in her 70s was contacted by phone and advised that her grandson was in trouble with the police, and that she needed to pay $10,000 for his bail.
She agreed to pay, and an unknown man went to her home to collect the money.
Days later, the woman was contacted once again, and asked for another $10,000. Alarmed, the woman contacted her son, and he called the Ottawa Police.
Frontline patrol officers attended the woman’s address and waited for the unknown man to come to pick up the 2nd payment of 10,000 dollars and arrested him.
The Ottawa Police Service Fraud Unit charged Kevin AIFUWA, 18 years old, of Laval, with Fraud exceeding $5000.
If someone calls and says they are representing a police service like the RCMP or the Ottawa Police, look up their phone number and call them directly to verify any information. If you can’t find a number, call 211, they can help, and ask them to connect you with the actual police service.
It’s always a good idea to call a trusted family member to discuss suspicious phone calls from strangers.
You can read more Ottawa Police Grandparent scam tips online or visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre for more information on this and other scams.
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