Police have arrested a 34-year-old Brampton man as part of a year-long international fraud scheme targeting elderly victims across Canada.
Peel Region Police say between January 2020 and February 2022, a group used pop-up ads on computer screens and spam phone calls to trick victims into infecting their computers with viruses and malware. It is said that he carried out a technical support scam that made people believe that. The victim was contacted by a call center agent who gave her remote access to her computer and persuaded her to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for unnecessary repairs.
Police say about 330 Canadians were scammed out of $500,000 by the scammers.
Jayant Bhatia, of Brampton, was charged with unauthorized use of a computer, fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.
Police said the scheme used the company names A2Z Consultants Group Inc., QB Services and SSS Consultants and operated out of Brampton, India and New York/New Jersey. Authorities in India and the United States have also brought similar charges against individuals who participated in the fraud scheme.
“As the use of technology continues to evolve, so too do the techniques used by online threat actors seeking to exploit unsuspecting individuals,” said Det. Sergeant Matthew Hutchinson and Peel Regional Cyber Support Unit. “We remain committed to our efforts to combat computer and online fraud and encourage the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.”