RCMP and the London Police Service charge 5 for Internet fraud

LONDON, ON, Dec. 11, 2015 /CNW/ - Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) London Financial Crime Unit and the London Police Service (LPS) have charged five individuals with various fraud charges stemming from a 15 month investigation into a scheme that defrauded 45 citizens from across Canada with a total loss exceeding $53,900.

The investigation began in August 2014 when one of the financial victims residing in London reported the crime to the LPS Fraud Section. Further investigation by the LPS and RCMP revealed that members of this group posted advertisements for cottage rentals in popular vacation areas via online classified websites. The accused parties communicated with the victims through email and text message. The victims believed they had reached an agreement to rent a suitable cottage for a period of time with one of the accused who had used a false name during these negotiations. The victims sent payments to one of the accused parties through email money transfer. The accused did not own or have any right to offer any of the advertised cottages for rent. Often the victims would only discover the fraud when they arrived at the vacation site with carloads of friends or family. This resulted in significant inconvenience and large additional costs as the victims had to arrange alternate vacation accommodations at the last minute. 

The following persons were jointly charged on December 10^th 2015

Matthew JONSSON (25) of Windsor, Ontario
Tamiwa KANYENDA (21) of Windsor, Ontario
Aaron DALLAWAY (24) of Windsor, Ontario
Steven CARUANA (26) of Windsor, Ontario
Derrack BREAR (26) of Essex County, Ontario

With:

• Fraud over $5,000
• Laundering the Proceeds of Crime
• Possession of the Proceeds of Crime

All are scheduled to appear on January 26^th, 2016, Courtroom 5, 9:30 am at the London Courthouse, 80 Dundas Street, London, Ontario.

"The RCMP is committed to protecting the economic integrity of Canada and works to identify criminal organizations who seek to launder proceeds of crime. This investigation is an excellent example of how law enforcement agencies, working together locally, nationally and internationally, were able to disrupt the goals of a criminal organization". Insp. Andrew Cowan, Officer in Charge of London Detachment, RCMP.

"I want to commend the excellent, collaborative work amongst the police services involved. These types of crimes have no boundaries and the cooperation amongst our law enforcement agencies was critical to the successful outcome of this investigation." Detective Superintendent William Merrylees, London Police Service.

Anyone with information regarding criminal activity is encouraged to contact their local police, the RCMP at 1-800-387-0020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Twitter: @RCMPONT
Facebook: RCMP.Ontario
YouTube: RCMPGRCPOLICE
Website: RCMP in Ontario

SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police

For further information: D/C Robert Fraser, London Financial Crime, RCMP "O" Division (Ontario), 519-640-5125