Two men are facing a total of 176 charges, police say, linked to an alleged stolen vehicle scam worth around $2.18 million running out of a Toronto car dealership
In a news release Wednesday, police said investigators had learned that the two men, who were employed at the dealership, allegedly used their positions to “acquire and sell stolen vehicles to unsuspecting customers under the guise of legitimate used car sales.”
The vehicles would be bought from numbered companies, which in some cases were owned by the two men, using funds from the dealership, according to the news release.
The accused parties would then create fake sales agreements using “clean” vehicle identification numbers — commonly known as VINs — and alter Carfax reports to match the fraudulent vehicle information, which would make purchases look legitimate, police say.
Then, a stolen vehicle would be delivered to the buyer under the guise of a legitimate purchase, according to police. The buyer’s VIN would not match the vehicle they had bought, and some of the vehicles were falsely registered to people who weren’t listed on sales documents.
During the week of Oct. 21, officers carried out eight search warrants linked to the case, which included residences and commercial garages. Police found two suspected “re-vinned” vehicles, police say, alongside documents and electronics used to help with the sale of stolen cars.
“Investigators have currently linked the accused to 22 fraudulent auto sales that were conducted while the accused were acting in their capacity as legitimate car salespeople,” the news release reads.
A 35-year-old Barrie man and a 32-year-old Mississauga man were later arrested and now face a host of charges, including multiple counts of forgery and fraud over $5,000.