Ottawa man charged with Fraud after posing as a St. John Ambulance instructor

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=88b43559-431f-4f32-a280-e7a1a9e51dbe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Friday, January 25, 2019   9:45am 

(Ottawa) — In December 2018, the Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit began an investigation following a complaint that a man was accepting money for delivering St. John Ambulance courses despite that fact that he was not qualified to do so nor did he have any affiliation with the organization. 

On December 28, 2018, Timothy POON, 32 years old of Ottawa was charged with one count of Fraud Under $5000. He appeared in court on January 24, 2019. 

Investigators are concerned that there may be other victims. If you have been a victim of this fraud, please file a report online or call 613-236-1222, ext.7300 

Anyone wishing to take a St. John Ambulance course can get information online at https://www.sja.ca/English/Pages/default.aspx 

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service at 613-236-1222, ext. 7300 or phone Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477 (TIPS) or toll-free at 1-800-222-8477. 

Seeking to identify suspects in relation to Fraud

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/index.aspx?page=2&newsId=fa72522e-e67c-4ea5-9a25-dbc632ce0082

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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Wednesday, October 31, 2018               10:24pm 

(Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police Service is investigating a fraud and is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspects responsible.

On October 7th, 2018, unknown suspects broke into a vehicle situated in the area of Senio Ave.  Suspects stole a wallet containing a CIBC credit card and a debit card which they later used at various stores in Ottawa.

The suspects are described as follows (images attached):

The first suspect is described as a light-skinned male in his 20’s, clean shaven, wearing dark jeans and polo shirt with “England” printed in the front.

The second suspect is described as a dark-skinned male in his 20’s, wearing light pants and dark hoodie.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Ottawa Police's Break & Enter Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2655. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa Police app.

Local roofing company owner and employee charged with 49 Fraud related offences

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/index.aspx?newsId=7e8a99c3-4161-4b70-a4ef-62d9ec18b417

(Ottawa)— In January 2018, the Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit began an investigation following numerous complaints that a local roofing company received money for new roof services and never fulfilled the contracts.

On Friday, November 2, 2018, the Organized Fraud Unit charged the owner of Ottawa Permanent Roofing and one employee individually with 45 counts of Fraud Over $5,000 and 4 counts of Fraud Under $5,000.

Charged are:

• Hanan EL BADRY (f), 27 years old, of Ottawa (owner)
• Hugh ARNOLD, 61 years old, of Kelowna, BC (employee)

Ms. EL BADRY was arrested in Ottawa on November 2^nd, 2018 and Mr. ARNOLD was arrested on a Canada Wide Warrant in Kelowna, BC on October 29^th, 2018 by the RCMP.

Ms. EL BADRY is scheduled to appear in court on December 11, 2018, while Mr. ARNOLD remains in custody in Ottawa.

The Ottawa Police Service received over 49 complaints about the roofing company up until August 2018 and investigators are concerned there could be more victims.

Mr. ARNOLD presented himself to customers as ‘Anthony El Badry’.

Please visit the Consumer Protection Ontario website for tips when hiring a (roofing) contractor at https://www.ontario.ca/page/hiring-roofer

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5292 or phone Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477 (TIPS) or toll-free at 1-800-222-8477.

YMCA-YWCA Director pleads guilty to Fraud Under $5000

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/index.aspx?newsId=3bd960fa-55eb-4797-9e94-0c12f393aa9a

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, October 30, 2018     2:15pm 

(Ottawa) – In January 2016, the Ottawa Police Service was alerted by the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region to suspicious financial activity involving their Director of Employment and Newcomer Services.

To administer Ottawanewcomer and employment services, the YMCA-YWCA receives public grant money from various Government agencies.

The YMCA-YWCA had conducted an audit of the credit card expenditures of the Director and found that between October 2011 and December 2015 $20, 548.40 worth of fraudulent purchases were charged against the business credit card issued to her. It was noted that many of these transactions were for the purchase of prepaid gift cards. 

The Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit conducted an investigation and on March 1, 2018 laid a charge of Fraud Over, Possess Property Obtained by Crime, and Launder Proceeds of Crime against Tanya-Elizabeth GAGNON DUGAL-MENDES, 40 years old of Ottawa.

On October 29, 2018, Ms. GAGNON DUGAL-MENDES pleaded guilty to one count of Fraud Under $5000. Ms. GAGNON DUGAL-MENDES was sentenced to an eighteen months conditional sentence and restitution of the outstanding amount.

“Both the YMCA-YWCA and the Ottawa Police considered the misuse of these funds a serious breach of the public trust,” said lead investigator Cst. Gavin Morris, with the Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit. 

The matter is now considered resolved and the money has been repaid to the YMCA-YWCA. 

Purchase of pre-paid gift cards scam targeting businesses in Ottawa area

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, October 4, 2018      9:00am

(Ottawa) –The Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit is warning the community about a recent fraud that has been reported in the Ottawa area.  Employees at businesses, particularly those who are in administrative positions, have been receiving email messages that appear to come from the CEO of their company.  

The emails are asking the employee to purchase prepaid gift cards and to forward the number on the cards back to the supposed CEO.  The employee later finds out that it was not the CEO who has sent the email and that there is no balance remaining on the card.  

Upon closer examination of the original email, it is found not to have come from the CEOs email but from a very similar address that may only differ by one or two letters or by a slightly different domain name. 

The numbers off of the prepaid cards are then sold on the web and usually spent within minutes in foreign countries. 

Businesses are encouraged to maintain strict protocols for ordering and authorizing financial transactions by email.

The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit is advising the public that are or have been victims of this scam to contact the Ottawa Police and make a report at 613-236-1222 ext. 7300 or online at ottawapolice.ca.

For more information on this and other frauds, please follow @FraudOttawa 

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa Police app. 

New warning about ‘distraction’ fraud and thefts in Ottawa

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/index.aspx?newsId=3c5fcd37-3568-4fc6-af21-08acf7c897aa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 9, 2018        11:50am 

(Ottawa) –The Ottawa Police Service would like to warn the public about a recent series of distraction thefts, frauds and robberies that have occurred in Ottawa and other cities across Ontario.

The suspects approach victims on the side of the road, parking lots, or outside their homes under the pretence of asking for assistance, either with directions or help. The suspects then distract, fraudulently scam, and/or forcefully remove the victim’s jewellery, depending on the circumstances. Victims are left with either worthless jewellery or no jewellery at all.

Suspects are described as middle-aged men and women, Middle Eastern, and heavyset. They are usually driving vehicles during the incident.

Ottawa Police are asking for people to remain vigilant as to their surroundings and immediately report any similarly suspicious encounters to the Ottawa Police Service. Please be mindful and cautious with persons who are offering the unsolicited sale or exchange of jewellery.

Anyone with information about this type of distraction thefts can contact the Ottawa Police at 613-236-1222, ext. 7300. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa Police app.

For more information on theft prevention tips see commons scams and crime prevention for seniors. 

Warning about a recent e-mail scam seeking Bitcoins transfer

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/index.aspx?newsId=dfb9532e-22ab-432c-a3a5-ab2ee3b48db4

(Ottawa)—The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit has recently received several public complaints of an emerging e-mail scam and is advising the public not to respond to these e-mails.

With this scam, people are receiving a personal e-mail from an anonymous sender. The e-mail advises that their password was captured by malware and the sender actually provides the captured password to the potential victim.

Investigators believe that the e-mail address and password are likely obtained by the fraudsters from a website previously used by the recipient. Some complainants have informed police that the password was actually an old one that they have not used in years.

In the e-mail, the sender informs the potential victim that they have video recorded their activities while they were visiting pornographic sites and further threatens to release the said video to the recipient’s contact list if a quantity of Bitcoins are not transferred to a specific Bitcoin account within one day.

The Ottawa Police Service advises the public not to reply to these e-mails. Furthermore, the following prevention tips are suggested:  

• Make sure not to use the same password for all of your internet activities;
• Change your password(s) regularly;  
• Make sure to have valid antivirus and malware software and perform regular scans.