Over $250K lost in romance scams leads to charges for Brampton man: police | #RomanceScam

Multiple victims were defrauded out of more than $250,000 in online romance scams, leading to charges for a Brampton man, police say.

What started as an investigation into cheques stolen from a Burlington business started back in January, the Halton Regional Police Service says.

The cheques were in the mail en route to their intended recipients, but were deposited into a “fraudulent bank account,” police say.

But the investigation took a turn when police say they discovered “a large scale online romance scam” involving multiple victims across different online dating platforms.

The suspect would receive e-transfers and cheques from his victims, which would then be deposited into bank accounts under the alias “Donald Duke.”

Police say the alleged scammer also used the aliases Nathan Douglas, and Peter Anderson.

“Wearing a face covering to disguise his identity the suspect would then attend numerous different ATM’s to make cash withdrawals of the fraudulently obtained monies,” police say.

Over $250,000 was scammed from victims, with three identified in Canada and a fourth in the U.S.

Investigators say a 49-year-old male suspect from Brampton was arrested on Tuesday, and a search at a Brampton property turned up “fraudulent documents.”

Halton police say Osarumwense Irabor, 49, of Brampton, has been arrested and charged with multiple offences including fraud over $5,000, laundering proceeds of crime, and possession of a forged passport.

Police believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to contact Halton police by calling 905-825-4777 ext. 8734. Anonymous tips may also be provided to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or visiting www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

When you contact Crime Stoppers you stay anonymous, never have to testify, and could receive a $2,000 reward.

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