Toronto scams are getting out of hand and here are ones to look out for
Every other day in Toronto, it seems like there’s a new headline about a business owner, senior, or vulnerable citizen falling victim to a scam and losing thousands of dollars.
Whether it involves alleged “missed” speeding tickets, cryptocurrency or fake vehicles for sale, scams are running rampant across the city, and here are just a few of the latest ones you should keep an eye out for.
Speeding scams
As shown in a recent Reddit thread, some Toronto residents have reported receiving messages claiming that an automated speeding system has caught their vehicle going over a posted speed limit.
The fraudulent text message then invites them to click on a link to “settle” their infraction without a court date.
“That’s a scam. They’ll notify you via mail. Not random text asking for money,” one resident wrote, alerting others to watch out for the scam.
Rental scams
Searching for a place to rent in Toronto can be a daunting task, but add scammers to the mix, and you’re in for a complete nightmare as you attempt to find a place to call home.
According to a report by CTV News, one woman who recently found her dream basement apartment listing on Rentals.ca pre-paid for rent; however, the keys to her place never arrived.
Another man who used the same website to search for an apartment in Toronto was scammed out of $3,600 after he found someone already living at the address.
“If you do contact a landlord and they request that you send money right away, that’s a red flag. You want to at least meet the landlord or tour the property,” Rentals.ca spokesperson Giacomo Ladas told the news outlet.
To prevent similar instances from happening, the platform now uses a verification process for landlords, who have a blue checkmark next to their listing if they agree to be pre-screened.
Highway 407 scams
Although this type of scam has been circulating for a while, it made another resurgence last year and continues into 2024, with fraudsters pretending to represent the toll highway and ordering recipients to pay an unpaid balance via text message.
“Scam Alert! Fraudsters are sending scams by text message,” 407 ETR said on X in December. “Don’t click the link! 407 ETR only sends text messages for payment reminders which include a link to a secure webpage to make the payment.”
Grandparent scams
Although grandparent scams have been circulating for years now, vulnerable seniors continue to fall victim to highly scripted storylines from fraudsters, who demand a certain amount of money after claiming that a family member or grandchild is in grave danger or trouble.
Just earlier this month, Toronto Police returned money to an 87-year-old victim of fraud after arresting a man who defrauded her once of $10,000 and attempted to squeeze another $11,000 from her.
The accused advised the victim that her grandson was arrested with a large quantity of narcotics that was in his car and advised her that a $10,000 bail was required for him to be released from police custody.
“Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently,” said Financial Crimes Detective Constable Ella Bhardwaj, noting that since 2021, there have been over 200 victims and over $1 million in losses in Toronto.
“They put such urgency in their messages to victims, that money is needed right away by authorities,” she said. “These grandparents all felt they needed to do something for their grandchild who was in trouble. They also grew up having respect and trust in police, which lends legitimacy to the scam.”
Curbsiding scams
If you’re planning on purchasing a vehicle on websites like Facebook Marketplace in Toronto, you might want to keep this scam on your radar while you browse through your options.
According to Toronto police, a 21-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman recently used Facebook Marketplace to advertise vehicles for sale using fake aliases. The vehicles were reportedly falsely advertised as having low kilometres and/or the year of the vehicle was falsely advertised as being new.
Unsuspecting victims would then meet the suspects to drive the vehicles at different locations throughout the GTA. After the sale was completed and upon registering the vehicles, the victims would learn that the odometres were tampered with, the ownerships altered, and/or the vehicle required extensive repairs.
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