Charges laid after fake mortgage broker defrauds multiple victims in York Region

(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

A 50-year-old woman is facing fraud charges after allegedly pretending to be a mortgage broker in order to access money from the bank accounts of multiple victims in York Region.

The investigation began in November 2022 after police received a tip. Police say that between 2016 and 2021, the suspect, who represented herself as a mortgage broker, engaged with several victims who didn’t speak or read English.

These victims were typically newer to the area, and seeking investment opportunities and real estate properties, police said.

The suspect allegedly met the victims at a law firm in Mississauga, where they signed documents the victims believed to be for joint investment opportunities.

“It was later discovered that the suspect registered second mortgages on the victims’ homes and withdrew money from their bank accounts,” police wrote in a news release issued Monday morning.

A suspect identified as Markham resident Po Yuk “Peggy” Chan was taken into custody on Sept. 5, and charged with five counts of fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and obtaining credit by false pretence.

The charges have not been proven in court.

The investigation is ongoing and police are urging anyone who believes they were a victim of the fraud to contact police or reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously.