Toronto: 3 charged for selling real estate by posing as homeowners

Toronto Police in a news release on Friday stated that three people were charged and arrested for posing as homeowners to sell real estate that wasn’t owned by them.

A 41-year-old Markham woman as well as two 22-year-old Toronto men were charged in relation to a title fraud scam, the Toronto Police stated in the news release Friday.

While both the men were reportedly charged with fraud over $5,000, the woman was charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of proceeds obtained by crime over $5,000, laundering proceeds of crime, uttering a forged document, and personation with intent to obtain property.

All three accused are scheduled to be presented before a court on Monday, media reports state.

“The men and woman initiated the sale of the home by fraudulent means. The home was sold and the proceeds from the sale were collected by the men and woman,” the news release read, with the police authorities adding that the three accused reportedly posed as homeowners to sell a house in January 2023 while the real owners were out of the country.

It is alleged that the three suspects went into a bank to withdraw funds for the completion of the sale of the residence when authorities flagged down the “suspicious transaction.” They were reportedly arrested after by the Toronto Police with assistance from the York Regional Police.