Brampton man charged in connection with computer scam targeting hundreds of Canadians
A Brampton man is facing charges for a transnational computer technical support scheme that scammed 330 Canadians of an estimated $500,000 between January 2020 and February 2022.
Peel Regional Police, in a Tuesday press release, said its Cyber Support Services and the Fraud Bureau, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and U.S. law enforcement agencies, concluded a year-long investigation and laid charges in the cyber-enabled fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims.
According to police, the accused tricked victims into believing that their personal computers were infected with virus or malware through spam phone calls or pop up ads that appeared on victims' screens.
Police say victims were put in contact with call centre agents who convinced them to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for unnecessary computer repair services. In some cases, police say, victims were tricked into allowing these call centre agents to access their computers remotely.
The accused has been charged with unauthorized use of a computer, fraud over $5,000, and possession of property obtained by crime.
Police say the three business names primarily used to defraud the victims are A2Z Consultants Group Inc., QB Services, and SSS Consultants, which operated in Brampton, New Delhi, New York, and New Jersey.
Authorities in India and the United States have also laid charges against the people involved in this fraud scheme, police say.
Police have asked anyone with information to contact the Fraud Bureau or Crime Stoppers.
