Two people have been arrested, and three others are still at large in connection with a door-to-door sales fraud that police said victimized more than 200 people across Ontario.
In a news release on Wednesday, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) provided an update on its investigation into the fraud, which began in the summer of 2021. Dubbed Project Nettle, investigators uncovered that salespeople attended homes of older adults and vulnerable people “to initiate frauds where victims unknowingly entered into home service and/or renovation agreements at exorbitant prices.”
OPP said the victims believed they were getting the services and renovations for free through government grants or rebates.
The fraudsters would then allegedly use the fake agreements to register a Notice of Security Interest (NOSI) against the victim’s homes without their knowledge.
“Later, these NOSIs were paid off to the benefit of the fraud organizers using fraudulent, high-interest mortgages against the victims’ homes. …