A Windsor man with a long history of financial crimes could be responsible for up to $20,000 in identity thefts, say Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Matthew Jonsson, 28, of Windsor, faces new charges of fraud (value over $5,000), identity fraud, possession of proceeds of crime, and breach of probation.
RCMP said officers of their London Financial Crime Section executed search warrants on two locations in Windsor on Nov. 21, and arrested Jonsson the same day.
According to investigators, the probe centred around a suspect employed as a salesperson. The man allegedly utilized his job to obtain personal information about individuals, which he then used online to obtain payday loans under their names.
The estimate thus far on the value of the scheme is between $12,000 and $20,000. RCMP said their raids last week found information indicating more potential victims.
RCMP noted that the accused was already on probation for fraud at the time of the latest alleged offences.
The accused has been involved in two previous investigations by the RCMP’s London Financial Crime Section — both times resulting in convictions for fraud.
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In 2017, Jonsson pleaded guilty to a scam in which he would make false posts on Kijiji.ca and other online advertising sites about rental cottages in outdoor vacation destinations such as the Muskokas, Whistler, B.C., and Canmore, Alta.
Victims would make email money transfers to reserve these properties, not knowing that the posts had no real connection to them.
The court heard that Jonsson operated the scheme for nearly two years. He was ordered to pay back $51,000 to 58 people.
Jonsson, a father of three, was spared jail time in his sentence, and was instead given three years of probation.
RCMP said Jonsson attended a bail hearing in London on Nov. 23. He was remanded into custody and was scheduled for another court appearance on Monday.
Anyone with information related to this investigation or the accused is encouraged to contact their local police service or RCMP at 1-800-387-0020.
Anonymous tips can be made via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or catchcrooks.com.
dchen@postmedia.com