2 arrested, Canada-wide warrants issued for 3 others in door-to-door sales fraud investigation

Two people have been arrested and Canada-wide warrants have been issued for three others following a three-year investigation into door-to-door sales frauds that police say victimized over 200 people across the province.

Provincial police say an investigation began in the summer of 2021 after it was discovered salespeople visited the homes of older adults and vulnerable people, getting them to unknowingly enter into home service and/or renovation agreements at exorbitant prices.

Police say the organizers then used the fake agreements to register Notice of Security Interest’s (NOSIs) which are similar to liens against victims’ homes without their knowledge. The NOSIs were paid off to the benefit of the fraud organizers using fraudulent, high-interest mortgages against the victims’ homes, leaving those affected in financial peril and in some cases, forced to sell their homes.

“It is evident this fraud has been financially, emotionally, and physically devastating for many victims across the province,” said police who conducted more than 230 interviews during the course of the investigation.

Rajivan Thillainadarajah, 39, of Mississauga and Sajjad Ahmad, 40, of Scarborough are facing fraud charges while Canada-wide warrants have been issued for Anas Ayyoub, 23, of Toronto, Muhammad Waqar Afazl, 33, of Pickering, and Muhammad Wasiq Afzal, 28, of Scarborough.

Police say anyone can check if there is a NOSI registered against their home by purchasing a copy of their parcel register through the Ontario Land Registry Access at www.onland.ca.

If they find a NOSI has been registered, the newly enacted Homeowner Protection Act deems all consumer NOSIs registered before June 6, 2024, to be expired and allows them to be removed by registering an application to delete an expired NOSI through a lawyer.

The Consumer Protection Act also allows you to withdraw from a contract within one year and get a full refund if a business or individual has misrepresented a product or service. Products or services sold door-to-door also have a ‘cooling off period’ that allows you to cancel an agreement within 10 days.