A Scarborough home had been sold and the funds transferred into the alleged fraudster's account, but a lawyer involved became suspicious that the 'owners' were not who they said they were.
From left, Xue Wang, Xing Yu Ling and Ling Pan were arrested in late January and are now facing charges of fraud. A lawyer involved with the sale of a Scarborough home became suspicious that the three were not the owners of the home they were selling.
"To be completely honest — they were perfect clients. They were really well prepared," said Vivekanantharajah, who says they shared with him property tax documents, proof of a vacant home tax declaration and two pieces of identification: an Ontario driver's licence and a permanent resident card. He checked the IDs over a virtual Zoom call, where the client held a driver's licence up to her face. Photos were also submitted to his office for review.
Toronto-based real estate lawyer Niroosan Vivekanantharajah was contacted in January by people who claimed they were homeowners looking to sell a Scarborough property. He became suspicious after the deal closed and took it upon himself to investigate.Vivekanantharajah's suspicions began after the deal was closed.
"I couldn't get confirmation that it was fake. They just said 'It's potentially fake, but we're not sure.' " Vivekanantharajah says the home in question had mail piling up outside, which was the first red flag for him, then he noticed porch door was locked, so he couldn't get in to ring the bell.He proceeded to knock on the doors of neighbouring homes, where he met people who gave vague descriptions of the residents that seemed to match the clients he was dealing with.
"The second I told her, I'm like: 'Ma'am, I sold this house,' and she's like, 'What do you mean you sold the house?' I'm like, 'It's gone.' "
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