Public Safety Alert, Work From Home Fraud

Public Safety Alert,
Work From Home Fraud

Broadcast time: 14:40
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021
Unit: 51 Division
Phone: 416-808-5100
Case #: 2021-651813 

The Toronto Police Service is advising the public of an ongoing work from home scam.

It is reported:

- the suspect posts an online job on an employment website

- the suspect asks the applicant to accept money through an e-transfer or deposit a cheque

- the applicant is then instructed to withdraw money from their own account and to deposit the money into a Bitcoin machine

- the cheques that have been deposited are not honoured by the bank and the applicant is ultimately left with a substantial debt

- the e-transfer is later discovered to have been obtained by fraud

The Toronto Police Service is reminding the public that accepting money derived from fraud is a crime and is subject to prosecution under the Criminal Code. It is best practice to thoroughly research any prospective employers and cast doubt on any activity that requires you to deal with quantities of money or cryptocurrency in a work from home setting.

Anyone with information in relation to this fraud is asked to contact Detective Constable Elliott Lee 416-808-5179 or elliott.lee@torontopolice.on.ca

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5100, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, online on our Facebook Leave a Tip page, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes or Google Play.

For more news, visit TPSnews.ca.

Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu, Corporate Communications, for Detective Constable Elliott Lee, 51 Division