Six Ontario residents have been arrested and accused of defrauding more than 50 Americans in recent months by extorting $3 million in gift cards valid at Home Depot stores.
York Regional Police, which operates in the Toronto suburbs, said it began its investigation last February following a complaint from a senior citizen living in Utah.
The victim explained that a message appeared on his computer stating that the security of his device was compromised. The message included a phone number where one could request technical support.
Instead, however, the person was convinced, one way or another, by a scammer that they should get gift cards from Home Depot and provide their serial number. The victim lost the equivalent of $22,000 that he had spent at a Home Depot in Markham, Ontario.
PROVIDED BY YORK REGIONAL POLICE
One thing led to another and with the help of the company and the FBI, investigators were able to identify more than 50 victims across the United States, a number that could be underestimated. That fall, a series of searches and arrests finally took place in Markham and Toronto.
During these raids, police were able to seize $67,000 worth of unused gift cards as well as $600,000 worth of merchandise purchased from the fraudsters. Photos released by police show the suspects were able to amass an impressive amount of hardware, including tools and spools of electrical wire.
PROVIDED BY YORK REGIONAL POLICE
Six people were arrested and charged with, among other things, fraud, conspiracy and possession of stolen property. However, police believe there may be other suspects at large.
The identities of the six defendants:
Haichun Chen, 37, of Toronto
Fei Wei, 27, of Markham
Zhi Qu, 36, of Whitchurch-Stouffville
Ruoyu Hou, 35, of Toronto
Kehui Wang, 27, of Markham
Zheng Guang We, 33, of Newmarket