Brampton man charged in international cyber fraud scheme

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Published December 16, 2022 at 5:02 pm

A Brampton man is among six people facing charges after police busted an international cyber fraud scheme that spanned two continents.

Peel Regional Police cyber fraud investigators along with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and U.S. law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at a Peel home on Wednesday (Dec. 14) and made the arrest a short time later.

Peel police are being extremely tight-lipped about the investigation, and offered no details of the alleged scheme in a news release announcing the arrest.

They said only that they “seized evidence in relation to a cyber-enabled fraud investigation spanning international borders across two continents.”

Jayant Bhatia, 33, of Brampton, was arrested by police.

According to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, Bhatia is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud, among other charges.

Five others, including three people from India, a New Jersey woman and a New York man, are facing a rash of charges as well in connection with what appears to be a sophisticated international fraud operation.

“Cybercrime is borderless and cyber criminals have become more sophisticated. A more collected and collaborative approach between our law enforcement partners is paramount,” said Peel police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich.

Meanwhile, CAFC officials say they’ve seen a “massive increase in reported financial losses” due to scams and fraud in 2022.

“While our partnerships at all levels have been essential to successfully targeting fraudsters, we also need Canadians’ help by reporting instances of scams, fraud and cybercrime to their local police and the CAFC,” said Chris Lynam, director general of the CAFC and National Cybercrime Coordination Centre.

Anyone with information about a similar incident can call investigators at 905-453–2121, ext. 3394, or Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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