Two Nigerians, Gbemisola Akinrinade, 44, and Adebowale Adiatu, have been arrested by the Canadian police for allegedly enriching themselves with the proceeds from the sales of valid flight tickets to unsuspecting customers.
According to Canada Today, the suspects fraudulently sold more than 250 airline tickets at a value of more than $500,000 in the racket scheme.
The majority of the customers who purchased the tickets were from the Calgary area and the flights were primarily to Africa, a press release by the Peel Regional Police on January 26, 2023, stated.
The suspects, who are residents of Brampton and Vaughan respectively, between June and December 2021, allegedly misrepresented themselves as employees of travel agencies based out of the United Kingdom to secure access to an online booking portal belonging to a “major European airline.”
Peel police in a statement said the suspects fraudulently sold valid airline tickets to unsuspecting customers and pocketed the payments without remitting them to the airline.
The suspects are facing charges which include fraud, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, possession of property obtained by crime, obtaining by false pretences, and unlawful use of a computer.
According to the police authorities, in many fraud-related cases, people in vulnerable situations are coerced, manipulated and taken advantage of for the profit of the fraudsters.
However, they urged individuals to properly source the website they are dealing with and verify its legitimacy.
Peel Regional Police said: “Anyone who recognises or has information about this type of case is asked to contact the 21 Division C.I.B or Fraud Bureau at (905) 453–2121, ext. 2133 or 3335 or to your local police service. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by visiting peelcrimestoppers.”
