Latest news with #criminalnetwork
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
11 charged in Toronto taxi scam that allegedly defrauded customers of over $500K
Eleven people have been arrested and charged after a Toronto police investigation into a taxi scam that allegedly defrauded more than $500,000 from unsuspecting customers over 10 months. The 11, accused of being part of a criminal network that exploited members of the public, face 108 charges. At a news conference on Thursday, police said the investigation called Project Fare began last July after police received multiple reports by victims of the taxi scam. Initially, police identified 61 incidents of fraud, but that number quickly grew to more than 300. Det. David Coffey, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, told reporters that the suspects masqueraded as taxi drivers using vehicles that were modified to look like licensed cabs. Coffey said unsuspecting customers got into what they thought were legitimate taxi cabs only to find out that they were scammed after they paid their fares. "Unsuspecting victims were picked up and asked to pay for the ride using a credit or debit card. During the transaction, the suspects discreetly swapped the victim's card with a card that looked like theirs. The real card and their PIN is then passed on to accomplices," Coffey said. "These fraudsters used the stolen cards and PINs to withdraw funds from ATMs, deposit fraudulent checks to artificially inflate account balances and make high value purchases, including electronics, gift cards and luxury clothing." At the news conference, police displayed some of the items that the fraudsters purchased and that police seized during the investigation. On May 21, members of the police's financial crimes unit, with help from officers from various divisions, carried out three search warrants at addresses linked to the accused. Police made arrests and seized several point-of-sale terminals, high end clothing, electronics, artwork, several bank cards and vehicles resembling taxis. The suspects include 10 men and one woman from the Greater Toronto Area, ranging from 19 to 50 years old. The charges include fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Police said they are still looking for two male suspects and a female considered a person of interest in the case. News of arrests brings relief to cab company Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi, said after the news conference that she is relieved that police have laid charges. "I'm just really relieved to know that this was taken seriously and that it's been dealt with," Hubbard said. "When someone defrauds or engages in criminal activity in the name of legitimate services, it's pretty heartbreaking and it's pretty defeating." Hubbard said she has advice for customers. "Nobody's saying no to cash. That's number one. And if someone has a point of sale terminal, it can't accept debit and not credit, right? So our debit terminals or point of sale terminals are clearly branded," she said. "They have the Beck branding on them and they take debit and credit. If somehow a massive cell outage happens, obviously that's affecting the whole city, that might be the case where there's no debit and no credit, but there's never one and not the other." Also, she said customers should never let their debit cards out of sight and it should not leave their hands. Customers should also look for a brand that they trust and look at vehicle numbers to identify legitimate taxis, she said.
CBC
16 hours ago
- CBC
11 charged in Toronto taxi scam that allegedly defrauded customers of over $500K
Eleven people have been arrested and charged after a Toronto police investigation into a taxi scam that allegedly defrauded more than $500,000 from unsuspecting customers over 10 months. The 11, accused of being part of a criminal network that exploited members of the public, face 108 charges. At a news conference on Thursday, police said the investigation called Project Fare began last July after police received multiple reports by victims of the taxi scam. Initially, police identified 61 incidents of fraud, but that number quickly grew to more than 300. Det. David Coffey, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, told reporters that the suspects masqueraded as taxi drivers using vehicles that were modified to look like licensed cabs. Coffey said unsuspecting customers got into what they thought were legitimate taxi cabs only to find out that they were scammed after they paid their fares. "Unsuspecting victims were picked up and asked to pay for the ride using a credit or debit card. During the transaction, the suspects discreetly swapped the victim's card with a card that looked like theirs. The real card and their PIN is then passed on to accomplices," Coffey said. "These fraudsters used the stolen cards and PINs to withdraw funds from ATMs, deposit fraudulent checks to artificially inflate account balances and make high value purchases, including electronics, gift cards and luxury clothing." At the news conference, police displayed some of the items that the fraudsters purchased and that police seized during the investigation. On May 21, members of the police's financial crimes unit, with help from officers from various divisions, carried out three search warrants at addresses linked to the accused. Police made arrests and seized several point-of-sale terminals, high end clothing, electronics, artwork, several bank cards and vehicles resembling taxis. The suspects include 10 men and one woman from the Greater Toronto Area, ranging from 19 to 50 years old. The charges include fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Police said they are still looking for two male suspects and a female considered a person of interest in the case. News of arrests brings relief to cab company Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi, said after the news conference that she is relieved that police have laid charges. "I'm just really relieved to know that this was taken seriously and that it's been dealt with," Hubbard said. "When someone defrauds or engages in criminal activity in the name of legitimate services, it's pretty heartbreaking and it's pretty defeating." Hubbard said she has advice for customers. "Nobody's saying no to cash. That's number one. And if someone has a point of sale terminal, it can't accept debit and not credit, right? So our debit terminals or point of sale terminals are clearly branded," she said. "They have the Beck branding on them and they take debit and credit. If somehow a massive cell outage happens, obviously that's affecting the whole city, that might be the case where there's no debit and no credit, but there's never one and not the other." Also, she said customers should never let their debit cards out of sight and it should not leave their hands.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
ADVERTISEMENT Video Police arrest members of criminal network 'The Union' allegedly behind spree of tow truck violence Toronto police say they arrested 20 people and laid more than 100 criminal charges following a months-long probe into a criminal network known as ‘The Union' that allegedly used violence in an attempt to control the towing industry across the Greater Toronto Area.
Video Toronto police say they arrested 20 people and laid more than 100 criminal charges following a months-long probe into a criminal network known as 'The Union' that allegedly used violence in an attempt to control the towing industry across the Greater Toronto Area.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
‘The Union': 20 arrests, 111 charges laid in GTA tow truck crackdown
An armoured vehicle and some firearms seized as part of a Toronto police investigation into violence in the tow truck industry are shown. (Toronto Police Service) Toronto police say they arrested 20 people and laid more than 100 criminal charges following a months-long probe into a criminal network known as 'The Union' that allegedly used violence in an attempt to control the towing industry across the Greater Toronto Area. Police say that a multi-jurisdictional investigation dubbed 'Project Yankee' first began in October, 2024 in the wake of a series of violent incidents linked to the industry and concluded last week with the execution of 14 search warrants and the arrest of nine of the suspects. Police say that investigators believe the group is responsible for numerous acts of violence 'intended to gain control on the towing industry,' particularly in Scarborough and parts of Durham Region. The investigation, police say, subsequently led to a wiretapping probe focused on members of 'The Union.' 'The information we have is that we are at the upper echelon with the group that was organizing and hiring the acts of violence and it is quite telling that none of them have criminal records or were before the courts because they are the higher level,' Chief Supt. Joe Matthews said during a news conference at police headquarters. TPS Toronto police Chief Supt. Joe Matthews speaks to reporters at a press conference on Wednesday June 18, 2025 (CP24 photo). Two firearms and four vehicles were seized as part of the police investigation, including three Cadillacs that were 'armour plated.' Matthews said that the seizure of armoured vehicle is 'extremely uncommon' and 'shows the level of sophistication' of the group. At the press conference, Matthews also shared video footage with reporters showing two alleged arsons: one in Toronto involving a Molotov cocktail, and another in Whitby, Ont., where a vehicle was torched. Both incidents happened in March and February and were described as deliberate acts of intimidation targeting individuals in the towing sector. 'We are extremely confident that these arrests will have an impact on the violence in our city,' Matthews said. The Project Yankee announcement comes just two days after Peel police revealed the results of a separate investigation that resulted in $4.2 million in seized assets, including 18 tow trucks, allegedly tied to organized crime. Earlier this year, Toronto police also released surveillance video connected to a separate wave of arrests related to tow truck-linked shootings. Toronto police connect Piper Arms incident to string of other shootings, tow truck turf war Toronto police connect Piper Arms incident to string of other shootings, tow truck turf war Despite the scope of the violence, Demkiw said overall firearm discharges in Toronto are down 44 per cent so far in 2025 compared to the same time last year. A full list of charges and the names of those accused is available online.
National Post
4 days ago
- National Post
Violent extortion gang linked to Ontario towing turf war; many were on judicial release for other charges when arrested
Another large police probe in southern Ontario was linked to the tow truck industry, this time a large criminal network accused of extortion, fraud, and violence. Article content Peel Regional Police said more than $4.2 million in assets were seized and 18 people were arrested, including two men alleged to be the bosses behind a network involved in two streams of criminality: one dedicated to extortion and violence, and the other to systematic fraud through staged car collisions rooted in the towing industry. Article content Article content Article content Of the 18 charged, almost half were already on a form of judicial release for previous charges at the time of their arrest. Article content Article content Since their most recent arrest, three of the 18 were quickly released with an order to attend court at a later date. Of the 15 who were held in police custody pending a court appearance, seven have had that hearing, where all but one was released on bail. The remainder await a court hearing. Article content In 2023 a wave of violent extortions — demands for large sums of money accompanied by threats of violence — targeted members of the South Asian business community in Peel, west and northwest of Toronto encompassing the cities of Mississauga and Brampton. Article content 'These threats escalated into a variety of different offences including drive-by shootings, arson, a variety of acts of violence that spread fear and insecurity, not just into our local community but it gripped international news,' said Peel's Chief of Police Nishan Duraiappah. Article content Article content Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, said the extortions and violence terrified his community. Article content Article content 'Everyone was scared. They heard about these incidents and there was a real concern that we were only hearing the tip of the iceberg, that there's more and more of these very dangerous extortions happening.' Article content Article content The police response led to a task force formed last summer that led to a large probe named Project Outsource. Article content The investigation pointed to two Brampton men who are now under arrested. Investigators allege Inderjit Dhami, 38, and Paritosh Chopra, 32, were at the top of the criminal organization's hierarchy. Article content 'They are charged with instructing the commission of an offense for a criminal organization,' said Peel's Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich. 'What that means is they were in charge of this organization and providing direction to others that were a part of it,' he alleged. 'This was a crime group who attempted to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from our community with threats and also engaged in tow industry related violence and crimes like fraud.'
