Brampton Man Charged in “Black Money Scam”

Published January 30, 2017 at 3:35 am

A Brampton man is facing charges in connection with a “black money scam.”

A Brampton man is facing charges in connection with a “black money scam.”

The suspect, 39-year-old Wilfred Bebey-Mondoudou, has been charged after an investigation into contractor fraud helped uncover a second scam involving counterfeit money.

Durham Regional Police say that in April 2016, an Ajax resident reported being the victim of contractor fraud, claiming the accused received over $100,000 for renovation work that was never started.

On Jan. 25, 2017, officers executed a search warrant at an address in Brampton in relation to the aforementioned case. During the search, investigators found $21,400 in counterfeit U.S. $100 bills, $4,750 in counterfeit Canadian money and materials used in what’s known as a black money scam.

According to police, the black money scam (or wash-wash scam) takes place when a victim is told that large quantities of money coming from a foreign country have been dyed black to avoid detection by customs officials. The victim is then asked to pay cash for special chemicals to wash the money in order to restore it.

Victims later discover that the “painted” bills are just a worthless pieces of black-coated paper.

Bebey-Mondoudou has been charged with fraud over $5,000, two counts of possessing counterfeit money, two counts of making counterfeit money, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and more.

He was held for a bail hearing.

An advertisement for a black money scam can be seen here. Police are advising people to be aware of this fraud.

Anyone with new information about this investigation is asked to contact Det. Price of the Major Crime – Fraud Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5353. Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca and tipsters may be eligible for a $2,000 cash reward.

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