A B.C. man has been named a suspect in an RCMP investigation of organized crime groups that carry out phone scams.
According to a new report fromCBC, the man in question, Haoran Xue, has been identified as a suspect in an RCMP investigation into groups performing phone scams in which they pose as Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) officers and demand payment through cash and gift cards.
The report explains that officers have searched the home of the suspect in question after an investigation linked him to various retail mailboxes located throughout the Greater Vancouver Area.
The lawsuit, which includes the details of the investigation, seeks to seize the suspects home as the proceeds of his crimes. The suit was filed by the director of B.C.s Civil Forfeiture Office.
The suit claims the Burnaby house has been used to engage in unlawful activities and used to launder money. Xue has also been accused of mail fraud, forgery, identity theft and failure to declare taxable income.
According to the lawsuit, the RCMP claim Xue has transferred $1 million in and out of his bank accounts since January 2019, reads the report.
Ryan Duquette, a partner with global cybersecurity firm RSM, explains that the allegations bring attention to these sorts of phone scams that have in recent years become an irritation to many Canadians.
These sorts of scams are very lucrative, saidDuquette. We dont see as many people being arrested and charged for crimes like this in Canada, just because it does take a lot of police resources in orderto track down these sorts of scams and the perpetrators behind them.