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TORONTO – RCMP says a man with ties to Mississauga, Ontario. is facing charges in connection with various transnational phone scams, including the notorious Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) phone scam.
On Thursday, authorities announced the allegations as part of their ongoing investigation called Operation Octavia, which began in October 2018 to combat the CRA’s phone taxation regimes and other related fraud.
According to the RCMP, telephone scammers operating outside of Canada have been targeting the Canadian public since 2014.
In the CRA phone scam, callers from India pretend to be CRA, RCMP or other federal agents to intimidate victims into paying non-existent fines or taxes. During the investigation, the RCMP said it had discovered “money mules”, “money mule handlers” and money launderers operating in Canada and abroad.
This scheme alone has cost victims a cumulative total of more than $ 18.5 million since 2014, the RCMP said.
According to the announcement, other scams by the scammers, including those of the “bank investigator” and “technical support”, resulted in losses to victims of more than 34 million dollars.
Despite a series of police raids on illegal call centers in India and arrests made in Canada, the RCMP said phone scammers continue to operate and target Canadians.
To date, the RCMP said nine people have been charged in connection with the Octavia Project.
“Fraud, like violent crime, has devastating consequences for its victims. Those whose conscience does not deter them from preying on the vulnerable will be held accountable by the rule of law, ”Staff Sgt. Ken Derakhshan, an officer in charge of the GTA Financial Crime Section in Milton, Ontario, said in a press release.
Thomas Pao, 25, of Mississauga, Ontario. was charged with fraud for over $ 5,000, possession of the proceeds of crime and laundering of proceeds of crime.
The RCMP said an arrest warrant has been issued across Canada for Pao, who is currently believed to be in China.
None of the charges have been tested in court.
Authorities have advised Canadians who receive a call from someone asking for their personal or banking information to hang up and report the activity to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center via their website www.antifraudcentre.ca. If the person threatens them or their family, the RCMP said to hang up and call the police.
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