Cheque scam ring worth $380K busted targeting vulnerable victims, pair from Brampton charged

Three people including two from Brampton have been charged after police say they broke up a fraudulent cheque scam that saw $380,000 stolen.

Peel Regional Police say back in March that investigators were contacted by a major financial institution about multiple cheque-related frauds.

Police say they discovered a group of suspects were actively targeting vulnerable sectors of the population and that the fraudsters were responsible for approximately $380,000 of “fraudulent cheque acts.”

Three people including a 41-year-old and a 30-year-old man from Brampton were arrested on Friday and charged with multiple offences.

Varinder Kumar, 41, and Sukvir Singh, 30, both of Brampton have been charged by Peel Regional Police with multiple offences, including multiple counts each of fraud over $5,000 and utter forged documents.

Sandeep Sogi, 26, of Toronto has also been charged with multiple counts of fraud over $5,000 and utter forged documents.

The accused were all held for bail hearings at a later date, police said.

“Criminal acts perpetrated against our vulnerable sectors will not be tolerated and those responsible will be held accountable,” said. Insp. Sean Brennan of the Peel Police Financial Crimes Services unit. “This investigation is an excellent example of collaboration with our financial institution partners”

Investigators are urging any members of the public who may have been approached or solicited by this group to contact the Peel Regional Police Fraud Bureau at (905) 453–2121 ext. 3335.

You can also contact Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca.