Victims scammed out of money, homes in Ontario door-to-door fraud; Mississauga woman charged

A Mississauga woman and a man from Woodbridge are the latest people to be charged in connection with a door-to-door home renovation/services sales scam that has cheated hundreds of older adults and others across Ontario out of their money — and in some cases, their homes.

Ontario Provincial Police said separate arrests were made on Oct. 15 and Oct. 17 as their investigation into the fraud scheme continues. So far, more than 200 people have been victimized by the scammers, police said.

In carrying out the scams, “salespeople attended the homes of older adults and vulnerable people to initiate frauds where victims unknowingly entered into home service and/or renovation agreements at exorbitant prices,” police said in a news release on Tuesday.

“Many victims believed they were getting services/installations and renovations for free through government grants or rebates.”

OPP fraud investigators say those behind the scheme then “used the fake agreements to register Notice of Security Interest’s against victims’ homes without their knowledge. Later, these NOSIs were paid off to the benefit of the organizers using fraudulent, high-interest mortgages against the victims’ homes. In many cases, this fraud left the victims in financial peril and, in some cases, forced the victims to sell their homes.”

A Notice of Security Interest is similar to a lien against victims’ homes.

Danielle Harrison, 39, of Mississauga, is charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000  and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Austin Acheson, 29, of Woodbridge, is charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000.

Both have been released and are scheduled to appear in Toronto court in November.

In September, two men — one from Mississauga, the other from Scarborough — were charged in connection with the ongoing fraud scheme, which has been targeting people for several years.

Investigators ask anyone with additional information regarding this fraud to call a dedicated tip line at 1-833-941-5865 or email [email protected].

Anyone who suspects they have been the victim of any other fraud is urged to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222- 8477. Victims should also report incidents to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.