RCMP and CBSA seize $917,000.00 in Counterfeit Money Orders and Fake IDs!

FRAUD - Recognize it, Report it, Stop it!




TORONTO, April 21, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Integrated Counterfeit Enforcement Team (ICET), in conjunction with its partner agency the Canada Border Services Agency, seized $917,000.00 worth of fraudulent Canadian money orders and multiple falsified identities following the execution of a search warrant on a Sherobee Road apartment in Mississauga on Friday.

Insp. Rick Whattam of the RCMP Commercial Crime Section in Toronto credits the CBSA for their expedient sharing of information which allowed the RCMP ICET unit to follow the fraudulent money orders to their intended recipient who was subsequently arrested and charged.

Fraudulent money orders of this nature are often used as part of an advance fee mass marketing fraud scheme to victimize unsuspecting Canadians who are asked to pay a portion of the value of the money order (as an "advance fee") back to the fraudster - only to discover later that the money order is worthless. In most cases, the advance fees paid by the victims are non-recoverable because a third-party financial transfer company had been used to facilitate these crimes.

The RCMP reminds Canadians to be vigilant when approached with "too good to be true" opportunities. Specifically, the RCMP warns Canadians to be wary of employment offers, advance fee transactions, and marketing pitches (many conducted over the Internet) in which cheques/money orders are advanced with instructions to cash them and return some portion of their value.

Charged with fraud over $5,000.00, possession of forged documents, and possession of false identity information is Maxwell Asante (age 26) of Mississauga, Ontario. Asante is scheduled to attend Brampton Court on April 28, 2011.

The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre (formerly Phonebusters) is the national fraud reporting centre where people can report fraud complaints. This centre, jointly operated by the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police, and the Competition Bureau of Canada, supports law enforcement in investigations and assists members of the public in fraud prevention education. If you suspect you are a victim of this fraud or a similar fraud, you may contact the CAFC at 1-888-495-8501 or report it on-line at www.recol.ca.