Scammer running from authorities arrested at Pearson International Airport in Mississauga
Published April 26, 2024 at 5:24 pm
Canadians are no strangers to phone scams, as government agencies have been raising public awareness about them for some time. Today, an alleged high-profile scammer was arrested at Pearson International Airport.
According to a recent report from the RCMP, Thomas Pao, one of the alleged suspects behind a prominent Canadian phone scam, was charged four years ago by Canadian authorities.
Upon being faced with these charges, Pao reportedly fled to China.
Pao was initially charged with numerous offenses linked to telephone scams that involved false CRA payments. At the time of the initial investigation in 2020, over $34 million was lost by his collective victims.
Pao was arrested today upon return to the country via Pearson International Airport in Mississauga.
The arrest was triggered when RCMP members of the Transnational and Organized Crime unit were informed that Pao booked an emergency passage back to Canada with an expired Canadian passport. According to authorities, Pao was detained upon arriving in Pearson without incident.
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Pao remains in police custody with an initial court date in Brampton scheduled for today.
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