A 40-year-old Brampton, Ont. man is back in Alberta to face fraud charges from a 2012 incident that fleeced a Stettler-area family for nearly $75,000.
Taiwo Gbolade was arrested by Peel Regional Police in Ontario after the Stettler RCMP issued a warrant. According to Constable Bill Lewadniuk of RCMP Stettler Detachment, he was already known to police for incidents in the past. A fingerprint of Gbolade's was allegedly found on a piece of evidence relating to the 2012 fraud, Lewadniuk said.
“We got lucky with the fingerprint,” he said.
Alberta Sheriffs returned Gbolade to Alberta to face the charge of fraud over $5,000.
According to Lewadniuk, in 2012 Gbolade befriended a Stettler-area family, winning them over with his charm and charisma. Once he'd won their trust, he tricked them with a “typical confidence scam,” he said.
“It's a get rich quick scam,” Lewadniuk said. The type of scam promises the victim a larger amount of money if they are able to put down a deposit.
In this case, police allege Gbolade promised the family a significant amount of money for the nearly $75,000 deposit.
Once Gbolade had the money, he left the area, Lewadniuk said. The family reported it to police.
“Don't be embarrassed if you are a victim of a fraud,” he urged victims. “It happens to all types of people. You shouldn't be ashamed.”
He said it's unfortunate that people still fall for the scams, but scammers themselves are often very friendly people who are able to easily win the trust of others.
Lewadniuk said people should be wary of get rich quick schemes, as they are usually too good to be true. The RCMP website and the Canadian Anti-Fraud (Phonebusters) keeps extensive information about frauds online on their websites.
Fraud is a big issue
Lewadniuk is the Stettler RCMP's fraud cop, as over the years he's been able to pick up extra training in the area.
“The cases usually end up on my desk,” he said.
Right now, he's looking into a case that he expects will take a few years to see an arrest – if it ever does.
“They're in the States somewhere, or maybe China,” he said of the suspect in the case.
The international nature of phone, email and Internet fraud often makes it hard to see a resulting arrest. Production orders, which are basically warrants for information, take time to file and go through the courts. Once the information, material or items requested by the production orders is located and collected, it takes time to analyze. If the suspect or suspects in a case aren't in the RCMP's jurisdiction, extradition can add extra time.
In the case Lewadniuk is working through right now, a victim from the Stettler area invested a “significant amount” of money buying what he or she believed were legitimate stocks.
“It's unfortunate people still fall for these scams,” Lewadniuk noted, explaining that people are unaware of industry guidelines making them perfect victims for a scammer. “If people can say a lot of buzz words and jargon, they can convince people they know what they're talking about.”
He urged people to remain vigilant and be sure to look into any company or product in which they're asked to invest their hard-earned money.
He also recommended people not keep any sort of official identification or cheques in their vehicles, citing a string of recent fraud cases appearing before the Alberta Provincial Court in Stettler.
With a driver's licence or a Social Insurance Number, a thief can steal a victim's identity with ease. Blank cheques can result in a long, drawn-out process with the police and the banks.
For anyone who has been a victim of fraud, the right thing to do is to phone the Stettler RCMP to report it at 403-742-3382.