Second person arrested in identity fraud investigation in Halton
Published July 8, 2020 at 6:20 pm
A second man has been arrested in connection with multiple alleged identity fraud incidents targeting elderly women in grocery store parking lots in Oakville and Burlington.
A second man has been arrested in connection with multiple alleged identity fraud incidents targeting elderly women in grocery store parking lots in Oakville and Burlington.
Halton police allege that between Dec. 19, 2019, and June 11, 2020, three men were involved in a series of distraction thefts in Toronto, Halton, Guelph, Niagara, Peel, Durham, and Barrie.
Ten of these thefts occurred in Halton, police say. Project Waldo was subsequently launched and involved partnerships with Halton Regional Police, Toronto Police Service, Canadian Border Services Agency, Montreal Police and the civilian crime analysts from surrounding police services.
Police allege that the group of suspects targeted elderly women by distracting them and stealing their credit cards at their vehicles.
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Subsequently, the accused used the stolen credit cards for cash withdrawals and retail purchases. The estimated loss is projected to be over $13,000 in total.
Police say that on June 12, officers arrested 46-year-old Burlington man Constantin Liteanu in connection with the thefts.
On July 7, police arrested 35-year-old Vaughan man Laurentiu Avram in Laval, Quebec and charged him with eight counts of fraud under $5,000, eight counts of possession of property obtained by crime and more.
“The public is reminded to reduce their risk when shopping and only bring your driver’s licence, health card and a few financial cards. Protect your personal identification number at all times and use TAP whenever possible. Don’t let your belongings out of sight and become distracted while shopping,” police said in a statement.
Investigators have a warrant out for the third male responsible for these crimes.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Derek Gray of the Burlington Criminal Investigations Bureau – Seniors Liaison Team at 905-825-4747 ext. 2344.
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