A second man has been arrested and is facing 104 criminal charges as part of an ongoing auto fraud investigation in Toronto.
Investigators received a tip in July about “fraudulent” vehicle transfers at Service Ontario locations in the city, Toronto police said in a Sept. 11 press release.
Authorities arrested 43-year-old Toronto resident Winkle Lejarde in August in connection with the investigation after Service Ontario staff helped police determine a male suspect was linked to multiple vehicle-related frauds since November 2023.
Investigators have since identified another suspect and, on Sept. 7, executed a search warrant leading to a second arrest. Kris Kattick, 34, of Toronto is now facing 104 charges in connection with the case, police said.
The charges include 17 counts of uttering forged documents, nine counts of attempted fraud over $5,000, eight counts of fraud over $5,000, and eight counts of forgery along with numerous similar offences.
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Lejarde, who was arrested Aug. 9, faces 15 counts of uttering forged documents, nine counts of fraud over $5,000, six counts of attempted fraud over $5,000, and nine counts of forgery, among other charges.
Lejarde appeared in court Aug. 15 to answer to the charges, police said. Kattick was scheduled to appear on Sept. 8.
Police are advising prospective buyers to always request and review a vehicle’s history report to prevent purchasing either a stolen vehicle or one that has been “re-vined” with a fraudulent vehicle identification number (VIN).
“Common things to look for on a vehicle history report that may indicate the vehicle is re-vined are sudden colour changes to new vehicles, odometer mileage going down between owners and indications the vehicle was previously exported with no import certificate back to Canada,” police said in the press release.
Aside from verifying VIN information, vehicle data company Carfax suggests asking sellers for proof of identity and double-checking that the seller’s name and address matches up with the information on the vehicle registration form.
“You want to know that the person selling the vehicle is actually the owner,” reads a Carfax blog post. “Make sure you’re looking at the actual registration form as well and not a photocopy.”
The company also recommends verifying that the make, model, year, and licence plate of the vehicle line up with the form and double checking the odometer for evidence of tampering.
Scratches and cracks around the odometer could mean the numbers were rolled back to lessen a vehicle’s mileage.
