Toronto Police Are Looking For 2 Suspects Who Pretended To Be Homeowners To Sell A House
The real homeowners didn't find out for months.
The two suspects in a fraud investigation.
Buying a home in Ontario is a massive undertaking, especially given the current state of the economy. For most, it takes years of diligent saving and hard work. But it all pays off in the end, right? Not if the people selling you the property are fraudsters.
According to the Toronto Police Service (TPS), investigators with its financial crimes unit are asking the public to help identify individuals they allege committed mortgage fraud.
The TPS report states that two suspects impersonated the homeowners of a Toronto property that were out of the country for business back in January of 2022. The imposters then hired a real estate agent who helped list the property for sale and sell it to a pair of unsuspecting victims who took possession of the home.
"Several months after the sale of the property, the real homeowners discovered that their property was sold without their consent," police added.
The suspects, a man and a woman, "used fake identification to personate the real homeowners." Their actual names have yet to be revealed. However, anyone looking to help with the investigation should look closely at the photo of the two suspects, which police disclosed in a handout.
Individuals with additional information are asked to contact police at 416-808-7310 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.
The suspects are being sought on charges of fraud over $5,000. The exact amount of money they stole has yet to be reported.
According to The Criminal Code of Canada, if the value of the subject matter of the fraud offences is over one million dollars, the alleged scammers could face a minimum of two years of imprisonment.