2023-12-15 03:07:01

Six Ontarians have been arrested and charged with defrauding more than 50 Americans in recent months by extorting the equivalent of $3 million in gift cards valid at Home Depot stores.

York Regional Police, which operates in the suburbs of Toronto, explained that they began their investigation last February following a complaint from a senior living in Utah.

The victim explained that he saw a message appear on his computer indicating that the security of his device was compromised. The message included a phone number to call for technical support.

However, the person was instead convinced by a fraudster, one way or another, that they should obtain gift cards from Home Depot and provide their serial number. The victim lost the equivalent of $22,000 which was spent at a Home Depot in Markham, Ontario.

PROVIDED BY YORK REGIONAL POLICE

One thing led to another and with the help of the company and the FBI, investigators were able to identify more than 50 victims in the United States, a number that might be underestimated. A series of searches and arrests finally took place this fall in Markham and Toronto.

During these raids, police were able to seize the equivalent of $67,000 in gift cards that had not been used, as well as $600,000 in merchandise purchased by the fraudsters. Photos shared by the police show that the suspects were able to amass an impressive hardware store, including tools and spools of electrical cables.

PROVIDED BY YORK REGIONAL POLICE

Six people have been arrested and charged with, among other things, fraud, conspiracy and possession of stolen property, but police believe there may be other suspects still at large.

The identities of the six accused:

Haichun Chen, 37 ans, de Toronto

Fei Wei, 27 ans, de Markham

Zhi Qu, 36, of Whitchurch-Stouffville

Ruoyu Hou, 35 ans, de Toronto

Kehui Wang, 27 ans, the Markham

Zheng Guang We, 33 ans, de Newmarket

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