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Friday, September 19, 2008

Police bust Etobicoke counterfeit cheque operation - .thestar.com - 19 Sep 2008

Police have busted a counterfeit cheque operation that cost victims across North America as much as $2.1 million.

Victims received the fake cheques in the mail – disguised as lottery winnings or investment offers – with instructions to cash them and wire the bulk of the money to a phoney company, say Ontario Provincial Police.

Victims were left on the hook for the missing money when the bank realized the cheques weren’t real.
Police identified over 1,200 victims in an investigation that included the OPP, the Vancouver Police Department and the United States Postal Service.

On Tuesday, a police raid led to the seizure of counterfeit cheques, computers and credit card data.

Adesoji Shittu, 32, of Etobicoke has been charged with one count of fraud, possession of credit card data, possession of property obtained by crime and conspiracy to commit fraud. Simone Shittu, 26, also of Etobicoke, has been charged with fraud and possession of credit card data.

Simone Shittu has been released and will appear in court October 17. Adesoji Shittu is still in custody, pending a bail hearing.

By Adrian Morrow

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