Your Sikhs today: Brampton Mann in fraud schemes worth C$4.3 million

Meet the team of "trusted professionals" at PJ Mann Law Professional Corporation, a law firm based in Brampton ON, the capital of the government-in-exile of Khalistan.

You'll note that none of these "trusted professionals" is wearing a turban. And there's only one PoC, who isn't brown but black. That's odd, considering that PJ Mann LPC was founded (and until recently operated) by Pawanjeet Singh Mann, who Walt suspects may have been a sole practitioner. By that I mean, there was no team, just him... as far as Ed.'s research indicates. 

Who's running the practice -- which spcializes in immigration, visas and real estate -- now is a mystery. You see, Mr Mann is a former lawyer, having been disbarred by the Law Society of Ontario in July of 2025 after an LSO tribunal found him guilty of knowingly participating in a mortgage fraud scheme in 2019. 

Mr Mann is now facing multiple fraud charges after allegedly he orchestrated four separate schemes involving mortgage and cheque fraud that resulted in approximately C$4.3 million (over $3 million in real money) in losses.

Inspector Singh (no relation) of the Peel Region Police said the investigation began after the Fraud Bureau received multiple complaints between June and July alleging Mann was involved in fraudulent activity. Investigators allege Mann orchestrated four separate mortgage and cheque fraud schemes, causing approximately $4.3 million in losses to victims, many of whom were fellow Sikhs who trusted him because he was one of them.

He has been charged with four counts each of fraud over $5000 and possession of property obtained by crime, along with three counts of criminal breach of trust and two counts of uttering forged documents. If convicted he might be stripped of his citizenship (or permanent resident status if he hasn't yet become a citizen of Canuckistan) so as to be deported... but don't bet on it.

Your Singhs today (Brampton edition)

It's been a slow day for political news, what with everyone catching their breath following President Trump's announcement of "revenge tariffs" of 10%... wait, 15% on the entire world. But there's always crime news, and you can find it by Googling "Singh+Surrey" or "Singh+Brampton". 

The second option led us to a report from the Peel Regional Police, as follows: 

Investigators from the 22 Division Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) have siezed a firearm following a kidnapping investigation where search warrants were executed in the Brampton area. On Nov. 6, 2025, at approximately 6 p.m., the complainant contacted police to advise that a close friend of his had been kidnapped. The accused demanded $200,000 from the complainant stating that if he did not provide the payment they would harm the victim. 

Through diligent police work and investigative techniques, the victim was safely located and found to be unharmed. One accused was arrested at the scene, where a .45-calibre firearm was recovered. On Feb. 13, 2026, two Criminal Code Search Warrants were executed in Brampton. Further evidence of the offence was located at the scene. One loaded firearm magazine and an unloaded rifle magazine was also located. 

Harkirat Singh, a 27-year-old from Brampton [not the Brampton city councillor of the same name]  was charged with the following: 

Kidnapping while Using Firearm

Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession of Firearm

Occupant of Motor Vehicle Knowing there was Firearm 

Possession of a Loaded Prohibited or Restricted Firearm.

Amritpal Singh, a 27-year-old from Brampton was charged with the following: 

Kidnapping while Using Firearm 

Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession of Firearm 

Occupant of Motor Vehicle Knowing there was Firearm 

Possession of a Loaded Prohibited or Restricted Firearm 

Possession of a Prohibited Device or Ammunition Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized.

An arrest warrant has been issued for: Hasanpreet Singh, 28- years old of no fixed address will be charged with the following: 

Kidnapping while Using Firearm

Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession of Firearm

Occupant of Motor Vehicle Knowing there was Firearm

Possession of a Loaded Prohibited or Restricted Firearm 

What about them mugshots then? Which Singh is which?

Glad you asked, but unfortunately we can't give you a definitive answer. Ed. scraped them from a Canadian Press story published by Global TV News 26/8/21 under the headline "Police arrest 3 men in Brampton, searching for 4th suspect in human trafficking investigation".

The report says that "Amritpal Singh, who is 23, and 22-year-old Harkuwar Singh both face eight charges, including procuring and trafficking a person under the age of 18, forcible confinement and aggravated assault. Twenty-three-year-old Sukhmanpreet Singh is charged with forcible confinement and aggravated assault."

Maddeningly, the write-up doesn't tell us which of the three alleged Sikh criminals is which. But checking the math, Amritpal Singh was 23 in 2021, soooo... 27 in 2026 sounds about right. The Amritpal Singh arrested in 2021 is most likely one and the same as the Amritpal Singh arrested last week. 

What we have yet to learn is what happened to Mr Singh between August of 2021 and this winter. Was he brought to trial on the 2021 charges? Was he convicted? Did he do time? And after that was he deported as is supposed to happen in the case of any non-citizen of Canada sentenced to more than 6 months? Or did he claim asylum or refugee status so as to remain in Canada until whenever...

Interesting questions. Don't hold your breath waiting for answers.

Minnesota's most popular TV series

Still running, after all these years and all these elections. Apparently Minnesotans enjoy working for 50 years so the Somali-loving Timmy Walz and his cronies can take their retirement savings away from them. Perhaps this is an example of the famous Minnesotan sense of humor?

From the Babylon Bee: too good not to repost in full

Walz Announces $8 Billion Grant To Somali Company 

To Investigate Fraud

ST. PAUL, MN — In response to growing allegations of fraud tied to Minnesota's Somali community, Governor Tim Walz announced he had awarded an $8 billion grant to a Somali company to find the perpetrators.

"I'm sparing no expense to find those responsible," Governor Walz announced. "That's why I'm consulting with a Somali private detective agency. They know when to run a mean pick-six. They also run a nifty daycare center."

To date, approximately $18 billion has been lost to fraud in Minnesota through fake social service programs run by Somalis, some of whom may be in the country illegally. Walz hopes to get to the bottom of the scandal with a lucrative grant to the newly formed Osman Farah Private Eye Detective Agency for Finding Welfare Fraud 

"Look at me. Look at me. I am the detective now," said Detective Osman Farah.

Democrats praised Walz for rising above politics to get to the bottom of the fraud case. "Well, I'm convinced," said Minnesota Congressional Representative Ilhan Omar. "Nothing to see here. As usual, America is the real villain."

Previously, Republicans questioned Walz's leadership throughout the Somali daycare fraud scandal, even going so far as to suggest he's involved. Now, however, they're certain he's just mentally handicapped and unable to run an elaborate money laundering scheme himself.

"We should probably have him arrested, but honestly, this is all so entertaining," House Speaker Mike Johnson said as he ate a bag of popcorn while watching the news. "Ha, they just found another billion. Hilarious."

At publishing time, Somali detectives announced they were close to cracking the case and just needed another $8 billion in funds to be sure.

Note from Ed.: The Babylon Bee wins, for the umpteenth year in a row, the coveted Wally Award for Best Satirical Website. If you decide to subscribe, tell `em Walt sent ya!

Make up your own caption

Your Singhs today: Singh School of Truck Driving busted for fraud!

Never ve thought ve vould see this headline: "Indian immigrants get house arrest for running fraudulent truck driving schools in Ontario", but there it is, on the Unpublished newswire this morning. 

Yes, folks, this is about the notorious Singh School of Truck Driving... or one of such schools, at least. A judge of the Ontario Court of Justice was told at their trial that Gurvinder Singh, 69, of Laval QC, and Gurpreet Singh, 37, of Saint-Eustache QC "operated a truck driver school (not registered as a private career college nor authorized to offer MELT) that fraudulently did not offer its students the minimum training required to satisfy the MELT standards."

(Mandatory entry-level training (MELT) for residents of Ontario seeking to obtain a Class A licence, was introduced by the government of Ontario in 2017. MELT includes a minimum of instructional hours offered by qualified instructors teaching specific standardized skills deemed required by the Commercial Truck Driver Training Standard (Class A) of the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to safely drive large commercial trucks. Without proof of it, people who want to become commercial truck drivers can’t schedule a road test.)

The court was told that each of the offenders, at his respective truck driver school, obtained payment from its commercial truck driver candidates or students yet offered only basic truck driver training that did not comply with the MELT course standards. Both of the Messrs Singh "then circumvented the MELT certification process by paying for unlawful access to the (Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s) database to falsify their students' MELT completion," said Judge Pierre Roger in his decision.

"Each paid Charanjit Deol and her husband, who operated a registered private career college authorized to offer MELT, to access the (ministry's) database and upload information which falsely confirmed that the offenders’ respective commercial truck driver candidates or students had completed the MELT."

The Singhs "generally charged their students between $4000 and $5000 for the truck driver training that they offered. [the decision continues]. This is slightly less than what was charged for MELT training by approved or registered private career colleges.

"Their students were of South Asian ethnicity, largely new immigrants. The language spoken during training was mostly Punjabi." The Singhs "supplied trucks, trailers, instructors (frequently unqualified), and offered some commercial truck driver training which, however, did not meet the MELT standards."

The court heard that, between January 2019 and May 2021, Gurvinder and Gurpreet Singh "occasionally paid an interpreter, Hanifa Khokhar, to facilitate some of their respective students to cheat on their Class A knowledge tests. Ms Khokhar suggested some of the answers during her interpretation services." Her husband, Mohamed Khokhar, was also involved in the scam, by assisting his wife and collecting the money. 

Judge Roger found that "despite the risks posed by licenced Class A drivers driving commercial trucks without having completed the MELT, there is no evidence that the Class A licence of any of the offenders' students was revoked or made subject to additional MELT training or related conditions. Similarly, there is no evidence why such measures were not put in place by the relevant authorities."

Well, that's Ontario for you. Any political party which cracked down on brown or black crime would alienate 1000s of voters (some of whom might actually be citizens), especially in the Greater Toronto Area, and more particularly Brampton and Mississauga ON. But let us return to the story.

In his decision, dated October 29th, the learned judge wrote, "This was an elaborate scheme by the offenders. It involved close to 50 truck driver students each and lasted over two years. The offences impacted the community and the truck driver students. The truck driver students were robbed of the proper training they had paid for, and their lack of proper training created an additional risk to the welfare of road users, impacting the community and the reputation of truck drivers."

So what happened to the Sikh fraudsters? All four of the co-accused plead guilty to fraud. The Crown argued that a penitentiary sentence is the norm in cases of large-scale fraud, and that the range in such cases is at least three to five years.

Counsel for the offenders argued that this was not a large-scale fraud. Alternatively, they argued that the circumstances of this case, including proportionality and parity of sentences, and the good standing of the miscreants in their community, warranted departing from the range. They said that a fit sentence for each of the offenders would be a conditional sentence of 12 to 18 months.

So what did they get? House arrest! Justic Roger gave both men conditional sentences of two years less a day, to be served in the community. O Canada!

The learned judge apparently was unaware of, or failed to take into account, the years of trouble Canadian provinces have experienced with immigrant truckers, largely of the Sikh persuasion.

In 2018, 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos Junior A hockey team were killed when Jaskirat Singh Sidhu drove his big rig through a Saskatchewan highway stop sign at over 60 mph after ignoring its multiple preceding road signs and flashing lights. 

Two years earlier, Sarbjit Singh Matharu, driving on two hours of sleep and with a falsified logbook, caused an 11-vehicle pileup on Ontario Highway 400, killing four. 

A year later, transport truck driver Baljinder Singh rammed a queue of vehicles that had slowed to a stop in a construction zone, killing four. In 2019, Gurdeep Singh Dhaliwal was charged with stunt driving his semi on the 401, travelling less than 10 yards behind another transport truck. 

In 2022, Mehakdeep Singh received five years in prison for killing two young children and their grandmother on the same highway when he rammed them at full speed. Just last year, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal was charged with driving his transport truck the wrong way on the 401. Another trucker, Ravinder Singh Rai, was caught driving drunk that year on Ontario Highway 11. 

Earlier this year, Jagmeet Singh Grewal was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing four people by crashing into a line of vehicles on a highway through Laval QC. A similar collision happened near Brossard QC, south of Montréal, in 2022, killing two and injuring 10. The driver, Baljeet Singh, fled to the United States and only returned to Canada recently after several months of extradition hearings. 

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, mentioned above, was ordered deported but has petitioned to have his permanent resident status restored... on humanitarian grounds. As far as Walt knows, neither he nor any of the other Singhs named above, has been removed from Canada. Most of them are likely still out there on the highways of diverse Canuckistan.

* Unpublished is about empowering Canadians to become more engaged in what passes, in their woke country, for democracy. Walt recommends it highly.

Your Singhs today (Alberta truckers edition)

The Epoch Times reported yesterday that the Canadian province of Alberta is stepping up efforts to make trucking safer in the province. How? By shutting down a number of driving schools and commercial trucking companies that it says are operating "below acceptable standards".

Walt was disappointed that the truck driving schools and trucking lines were not named, likely to avoid stoking the fires of anti-Sikh backlash which are sweeping Canuckistan. A highly placed source has identified two of the schools as the Calgary and Edmonton branches of the notorious Singh School of Truck Driving. The trucking company is thought to be Diversity Transport Inc.

The province has ordered five driver training schools to close, suspended operations for 13 commercial trucking companies, sent 39 "disciplinary letters", applied more than $100,000 in fines, issued six action plans to fix issues, and revoked the licences of 12 driving instructors, according to a recent government announcement.

They're also working to boost information sharing with the federal government and cracking down on "chameleon" trucking carriers who change their names or locations to circumvent provincial oversight. 

The statement released on October 3rd went on to say that the province is also reinforcing rules related to the "Driver Inc." practice, in which companies evade payroll taxes and benefits by hiring drivers who operate their own little one-man companies as independent contractors. "These drivers often lack proper training and oversight, and are vulnerable to exploitation."

This past July 2025, a week-long commercial driver status and classification check stop revealed that 20% of the 195 drivers stopped were suspected of being "misclassified", including several temporary foreign workers and "students", like the one convicted in September of threatening and harrassing popular Sikh musician A.P. Dhillon.

The Alberta government, unlike those of Ontario, British Columbia and Canuckistan itself, is responding to growing concern -- "outrage" would be a better word -- about trucking safety and a series of deadly trucking accidents across Canada in recent months, including an October 5th collision in rural Ontario that killed two people. 

In briefing material submitted this month to the federal Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities [sic], the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) wrote that the Driver Inc. model is a particular safety concern. "he Driver Inc model has fostered collusion between carriers and unscrupulous schools, resulting in compressed programs, document falsification, and the exploitation of trainees," they wrote, adding that this includes undertrained drivers, foreign workers pressured into unsafe work to keep their work visa, and truck fleets that are in poor repair and dangerous on the roads. 

This article has been adapted from a report in Epoch Times, 9/10/25. The photo montage by "Dirty Old Trucker" appeared on Blazing Cat Fur.

"Project Déjà Vu" proves Greater Toronto a truly multicultural city

This is the third in what promises to be a long line of posts, with identical headlines, about black crime and brown crime in the "Greater" Toronto Area of Canuckistan. We'll get to theat in a moment, but first.... 

Yesterday was Khalsa Day, a celebration of the Sikh religion combined with mostly peaceful demonstrations in support of the Free Khalistan movement. It's a must-attend event for Canadian politicians, including Prime Minister Blackie McBlackface. He's the one on the extreme left [Geddit? Ed.], holding what appears to be a sword.

M Trudeau (for it is he) endeared himself to non-Sikh Indians and real Canadians by promising that he would always be there to defend Sikh rights. 

So impressed was the government of India that they summoned Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler to explain "separatist slogans" shouted at the parade where Mr Sox gave his customary laudatory remarks. 

The leaders of Canada’s two major opposition parties — the Cuckservatives' Pierre Poilievre and the National Democratic Socialists' Jagmeet Singh, Canada's Most Important Sikh (TM) — also spoke at the event. 

All three pols agreed that Sikhs are wonderful people and have enriched the social fabric of Canada, especially Toronto and Vancouver. with their truck-driving schools, pro-Khalistan mostly peaceful demonstrations (such as the bombing of Air India flight 182), and political acumen that has seen them elect scores of turbaned politicians at federal, provincial and municipal levels. 

Of course the 1000s of Hindus and Muslims -- especially those who came to Canada as "refugees" and asylum-seekers -- have made their own Very Important Contributions, to be sure, but the Sikhs are Very Special Indeed, as Messrs Trudeau, Poilievre and Singh never tire of telling you. Got it? 

OK, now we come to the story of Project Déjà Vu, or Project Deja Vu, as it is known west of the Ottawa River. The project began in October of 2022, when Toronto police finally began investigating a synthetic-identity credit fraud scheme that had started some six years earlier. Right on the ball, guys!

Synthetic-identity fraud is a form of financial fraud where fictional personal information is used to open accounts in banks, financial institutions and other businesses. "But," said a spokesthingy for the TPS financial crimes unit, "this isn’t just about fraud. Accounts obtained under synthetic-identity are known to facilitate other serious criminal offences, including the laundering the proceeds of human trafficking, drug trafficking and armed robbery among other serious crimes

"The fraudulently obtained credit accounts were then drawn upon by way of in-store and online purchases, cash withdrawals, or electronic fund transfers. In many cases, fraudulent payments were made into the credit account to allow them to be drawn beyond their defined limits. To date, this scheme has resulted in confirmed losses of approximately $4 million."

The perps are alleged to have created more than 680 unique synthetic identities used to open hundreds of bank accounts. The boys in blue [black, shurely. Ed.] have executed more than 20 search warrants and 80 production orders to investigate this case and seized several dozen synthetic identity documents, electronic templates to create false identifications and false documents, hundreds of payment cards associated with bank/credit accounts obtained under synthetic identities, and approximately C$300,000 in cold, hard, Canadian cash.

12 Canadians (???) have been charged with 102 offences, including laundering proceeds of crime, fraud over $5000, and uttering forged document. Here are their names. Hasnain Akram, 28, of Brampton; Muhammad Hamza Baig, 31, of Ayr; Zelle Ali Choudary, 34, of Brampton; Rashad Iqbal, 41, of Caledon; Ranafayysal Masood Khan, 38, of Mississauga; Anmol Khurana, 27, of Markham; Fahad Ben Mofeez, 30, of Brampton; Muhammad Usman Saif, 32, of Brampton; Ali Sana, 26, of Brampton; Mian Muhammad Saud, 35, of Belle River [Where dat? Ed.]; Sibt Hussain Syed, 60, of Brampton; and Mueed Tanveer, 27, of Brampton.

A perusal of the list reveals three "Muhammads" and an "Ali" but not one "Singh" so it would be wrong to say that this is totally a Sikh thing. But there's not a single Irish or Scots or even English name in the lot. That proves my point, as stated in the headline, that Project Deja Vu demonstrates once again the benefits of mass immigration and government-mandated multiculturalism. Marvelous, isn't it?

Previous examples of the fruits of multiculturalism: "'Project Kraken' proves Greater Toronto a really multicultural city" (WWW 29/6/19); "'Project 24K' proves Greater Toronto a really multicultural city" (WWW 17/4/24).

UPDATED: Are Canadians being set up for a US-style fake election?

Ed. here. Walt is en route to what could be the scene of the crime. What crime? How about a fake election, with the winner already determined, and the machinery in place to ensure that the result is what the liberal one-worlders want, i.e. a win, close enough to be plausible, for Prime Minister Blackie McBlackface. In Canada? Surely not! 

But wait... Before he left, Walt told me to check a story posted on the CTV News website yesterday, September 17th, at 1029 EDT. Here's the headline. "Assuming current scenario holds, 'we're looking at a Liberal win,' Nanos says". "Nanos" is Nik Nanos, a "non-biased" (read: liberal) pollster currently selling his guesswork to CTV and the Globe and Mail. Such is Mr Nanos' lack of bias that for the first three weeks of the election campaign he wouldn't even ask people if they intended to vote for Max Bernier's People's Party of Canada. PPC support was just lumped in with "other". 

Here is the key part of the article, explaining why Mr Nanos is so certain of the result -- 72 hours before voting commences! 

"Examining the share of seats in the House of Commons the Liberals could win, Nanos said it looks like history is shaping up to repeat itself in 2021.

"And what could aid that Liberal victory? Mail-in ballots.

"According to Nanos Research's nightly tracking data conducted for CTV News and the Globe and Mail, which was released on Friday, those Canadians who plan to vote by mail-in ballot are four times more likely to vote for the Liberals than the Conservatives." 

OK, that's Mr Nanos' guess, and he (and other pollsters) have been known to be wrong before. That's what Walt thought. But this morning the CBC -- owned and operated by the Canadian Ministry of Truth -- advised Canucks that they "might go to bed Monday night without knowing the final results of the federal election. They might not even know who won by Tuesday morning." 

Howcum? "That's because this year, Elections Canada isn't counting hundreds of thousands of local special ballots — votes from Canadians living in their ridings who opted to vote by mail — until Tuesday." 

Elections Canada is the "independent" agency of the Government of Canada (J. Trudeau, Prop.) charged with running federal elections. The people who work for Elections Canada -- even the temps -- is beholden to the Liberal government for their jobs and salaries. That includes the people who will count the mail-in ballots in the wee hours of Tuseday morning.

Theirs is a hard job. "The returning office has to go through a set of verifications before they even open a ballot envelope to put it in the box," said Elections Canada spokesperson Diane Benson. Those verifications include making sure those who voted by mail did not also vote in-person on election day. "Only after that will those ballots be counted," said Benson. "So it could be Wednesday, Thursday, Friday ... because it depends on the volume and it depends on how long it takes to do those verifications and then the count."

Can we be forgiven for mooting a resemblance to the way the job is done in places like Philadelphia, where (it is said) the folks counting the ballots call up Democratic Party HQ not to report on how many votes were cast, but to ask how many votes they need!

We cannot forget what happened in the darkness of the night of November 8th-9th. President Trump had a comfortable lead in Pennsylvania until around midnight, when counting (or at least reporting) suddenly was "paused". Then, a couple of hours later, there was an incredible surge of results from mail-in ballots, 99% of which were for Sleepy Joe Biden. 

Of course in Canada no-one would suspect fraud if the results changed dramatically at sunrise of The Day After... would they?

UPDATE ADDED 21/9/21: As it turned out, the mail-in ballots, which are being counted even as I write, were not a big factor in the Gliberal win. There were only a handful of ridings (electoral districts) in which the in-person count was so close that the number of mail-in ballots received (which was known, since, unlike the USA, only ballots received on election day would be counted) could make a difference. A couple of seats might change hands, but the same could happen as a result of a recount, so overall, no biggie.

Only in Canada, you say? Pity!

 Turns out that President Trump knew, as early as mid-November, that the Dominion Voting System machines were not used in federal elections in Canada. Those old-fashioned Canucks persist in counting paper ballots... by hand! Can you imagine?!

What a pity that most US states are too "progressive" -- word chosen carefully, to do it the simple, honest way. Americans would have been spared all the drama, litigation and suspense of the fake election of 2020.

Help Kids Canada scam back under new name(s)?

Long-time readers may remember that Walt has been writing since April of 2010 (!) about the activities of a dubious "charity" which calls itself "Help Kids Canada" and/or "Kare for Kids". See "Help Kids Canada - a scam or only half a scam?", WWW 10/4/10, and "'Help Kids Canada', 'Kare for Kids' -- still out there?", WWW 14/6/16. These two posts have received literally 1000s of hits and numerous comments, mostly in the summer when the weather is nice and they send kids out into the streets to sell cheap chocolate bars to the philanthropically minded.

Just yesterday, Walt received and published not one but two comments from readers, presumably in Canada, alerting us to another questionable charity, which they think may be run by the same scam artists.
Anonymous wrote: "I may be wrong but the same address and number belong to Disabled Veteran Support Canada. Being a veteran we strongly believe this is a scam organization. They are set up in Ontario but set tables at Sobeys, Walmart, etc in other provinces (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia)."
Gail Silva added: "They are now operating as Disabled Veterans Support Canada and Rainbow Seniors Support Canada. They canvass door-to-door and set up tables in grocery and liquor stores. Right now they have a presence in Nova Scotia. They have a website and are registered with CRA but there's very limited information on exactly where the money is going. Every time I check their websites info is deleted or changed."

Walt doesn't have a huge staff of investigative journalists to ferret out the truth [Like CNN? LMAO. Ed.] but asked Agent 3 to do a little checking. As regards the address, the Kare for Kids website gives their address as:
7 Bishop Avenue, Suite 2107, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 4J4, CANADA. That part of Toronto is also known as "North York". The address is that of a residential condominium, not an office building, half a block east of a part of Yonge Street occupied mainly by shops and businesses, such as carpet stores, run by people of Middle Eastern origin -- Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian etc. You know the type I mean.

Just around the corner and a couple of blocks north on Yonge Street, not far from the Iranian Plaza (really), is 6021 Yonge Street, which turns out to be a UPS store. Among other services, the UPS store will be pleased to rent you a mailbox, which gives you an address like: 6021 Yonge Street, Suite 323, North York, ONT M2M 3W2. "Suite 323" makes it sound like an office on the third floor of a tower block, but really it's just a mailbox. That address turned up in a thread on an Internet forum: "Beware buyer using address: 6021 Yonge Street Ste#323, North York, ONT M2M3W2, CANADA". (That was a dispute about "molded carpet kits", whatever they are.)

A similar address -- 6021 Yonge Street, Suite 811, Toronto, ON M2M 3W2 -- appears on the websites of... wait for it... Disabled Veterans Support Canada and Rainbow Seniors Support, the "charities" mentioned by our doubtful readers!

If you check out the websites, you will see that besides the address, the two "charities" share a phone number -- 416-733-7691. Neither of the sites offers any of the information that a legitimate charity should disclose: directors, officers, staff list, finances. They just ask for your money for such things as hiring entertainers to perform at senior citizens homes.

Rainbow Seniors Support claims to have been operating since 1996, and provides a "charitable registration number": 88909 2565 RR0001. Since it was Saturday, Agent 3 was unable to verify the number or Rainbow's status with the Canada Revenue Agency (the Canuck equivalent of the IRS). It's interesting, though, that Disabled Veterans Support Canada doesn't claim to be a registered charity. Rather, its website says: "DVSC is a division of Rainbow Seniors Support. Registered Charity Number: 88909 2565 RR0001".

That's as far as Agent 3 was able to get yesterday. Other than addresses in the same "Little Levant" neighbourhood, I can't make any connection between Help Kids/Kare for Kids and Disabled Veterans Support/Rainbow Senior Support, but they look dodgy to me. I have suggested to him, and advise you, dear Canadian reader, to contact a media outlet such as the CBC or the Globe and Mail with your concerns. Use the comments box to let us know what happens.

Illegal immigrants racked up millions of $$$ in ID theft fraud

It's not just California (see my earlier post today) or the USA that has problems with crimes committed by illegal immigrants who get caught and deported, only to return and commit more crimes, again and again and again. Canuckistan has its problems too. All that changes, north of the world's longest absolutely undefended border is the nature of the crimes and the ethnicity of the criminals. For some reason, the farther north the "bad dudes" go, the darker they get.

I'm going to give you this story as it was published this morning on the government-owned CBC News website: "It was good while it lasted: the luxurious life of an alleged Toronto fraud crew". It's worth following the link just to see the veritable cornucopia of bad taste the fraudsters purchased with their ill-gotten gains. Although the CBC carefully refrains from mentioning the perps' ethnicity, you can pretty much tell from what they bought and what they wore what kind of people they were. (Hint: it's the same kind of stuff P.K. Subban sports. The story's subtitle: "Crocodile skin boots and a $146,000 moon dust watch among items seized from Yorkville apartment".) I'll save the stinger for the end of this post.

Crocodile skin boots, Italian suits and a watch made from actual moon dust are just some of the items Toronto Police have seized from a suspected fraud crew, but there's much, much more. These are just some the alleged proceeds of crime that police displayed on Tuesday as a result of an investigation dubbed Project Royal, which began in 2016:

90 pairs of shoes including a $10,000 pair of crocodile skin boots
Seven watches including a Romaine Jerome Moon Dust Automatic valued at $146,000
Designer clothing, jewellery, accessories and liquor valued at $390,000
Several pairs of sunglasses valued at $10,000
"It's the absurdity of the consumption that stands out," Detective Constable Mike Kelly said at media conference on Tuesday. "We had $2,000 just in skin moisturizer. It was unsual."

Comment from Walt: Bill Burr does a bit about how black people use "lotion" to keep from looking "ashey".

There was also $39,000 cash, 37 credit cards and hundreds of pieces of allegedly stolen mail among the items seized at a Yorkville condominium unit police say was also fraudulently paid for. Two Toronto men, aged 45 and 37, have been arrested and charged with several fraud related crimes and possession of the proceeds of crime. Police have also issued warrant for a third suspect, a 44 year-old, of Toronto. And a 47-year-old Toronto man who police say is also connected to the group is wanted in the United States.

Police allege the group stole pieces of mail, including bank statements, and that they were were in possession of the personal information of approximately 5,000 GTA residents. "You're talking about literally thousands of individuals all throughout the GTA whose information has been at least compromised," Kelly said.

Investigators say the group used that information to obtain credit cards, which they then used to fund their luxury lifestyles. The Yorkville condo was paid for with credit card cash advances, police say. The accused did most of their shopping in the Yorkville area, Kelly says, and in some cases, merchants may have known fraud was taking place or at least "looked the other way" when luxury goods were purchased on credit. Police say when questioned, the men would describe themselves as businessmen or tourists. One of the suspects, who resided in the upscale Yorkville condo, said he worked for a moving company.

Police don't believe any of the items were being sold. The only motivation behind the alleged fraud was "conspicuous consumption", Kelly said. All of the accused maintained social media profiles in which much of their glitzy lifestyle is documented.

And now... drum roll, please... rrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Walt reveals the names of the accused, as UNreported by the politically correct CBC. Adedayo Ogundana, Duro Akintola, and Adekunle Johnson Omitiran (pictured -- but not on CBC) don't sound like Irishmen to me. They are Africans, probably Nigerians or Ghanaians. Innocent questions: What is their immigration status in Canada... if any? And what is the Trudeau government's stance on the deportation of "undocumented migrants" who commit crimes?

Footnote: The header of the Toronto CBC News website shows three of CBC Toronto's top "news" presenters. Not one of them is a white male. Who is responsible for CBC Toronto's anti-white bias? Step forward Susan Marjetti, former CBC Toronto station manager and winner of every conceivable award for promoting "diversity". Time to retire, now, Susan. Your work in Toronto is done.

Are Nigerian scammers really that stupid?

Today Walt got an urgent e-mail from one "Kingsley Moghalu", whose e-mail address seems to belong to an Ellen Raez, but never mind. According to the "re" line, Kingsley wants me to "RESPOND VERY URGENTLY TO DEPUTY GOVERNOR CBN / OPEN THE ATTACHED AND READ‏". Walt didn't open the attachment, and neither should you, gentle reader. You know that, right?

Sometimes, though, you don't have to open an attachment. Right there in your in-box is a letter from a distraught widow, or a suffering orphan, or a conniving employee of a reputable international bank. (CBN = Central Bank of Nigeria, by the way. Yesterday I got one from the "Shanghai Bank Corporation", which must be the same as the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corp., of which I've heard.)

The letter -- one of many variations of "the Spanish prisoner letter", which is even older than Walt -- tells you the suffering orphan (or whoever) needs your help to access a fabulous sum of money which was (for instance) left to her by her late father (a trusted confidant of Moammar Gadhafi, or whoever) but which for some reason she needs to park in your bank account for awhile. For helping her, you will get a percentage of the fabulous sum.

Sounds too good to be true, right? And so it is. But you would be tipped off, wouldn't you, by the poor English, the dubious phone numbers (e.g. a cell phone for the office of the Bank of Scotland), and the obviously African names. How could anyone fall for this old con game? And why would the scammers be so stupid as to send out such obviously bogus e-mails? (They still come by snail-mail too, by the way.)

These questions have been puzzling Cormac Herley, one of Bill Gates's minions. In his paper "Why do Nigerian scammers say they are from Nigeria?", he argues that the scammers make their appeals so blatantly ludicrous to weed out smart people -- like Walt's readers -- who will not be so easily taken in. Anyone foolish enough to take these ludicrous letters at face value is thus the most promising mark for their scam. If they're stupid enough to believe this letter, they'll believe anything!

Another motive could be Nigeria's dreadful reputation for corruption. When a high official of the Central Bank of Nigeria tells you he's sitting on $30 million which was paid as a bribe to facilitate an illegal transaction, it seems quite plausible and you -- if you're greedy as well as stupid -- want to get the cut that is offered to you.

So... you and I know about the "419" and related scams, and won't be taken in. But 1000s of others aren't as smart as we are. Millions, perhaps billions of dollars are lost every year to these Nigerian (and non-Nigerian) fraudsters. Other than send the junk to your spam-box, is there something you can do? Eve Edelson says YES.

In Scamorama, a book based on her website of the same name, Ms Edelson suggests a little bit of public-spirited scam-baiting. That means playing the fraudsters' game, wasting their time and resources by pretending to be a potential victim. On the website and in the book, you'll find instructions on how to play along, and examples of hilarious correspondence between the would-be scammers and members of Eve's internet posse. It's a great site, worth having a look at even if you don't want to play.

"The Little Black Book of Scams" (downloadable)

Even though it first ran almost two years ago, "Help Kids Canada - a scam or only half a scam?" continues to draw comments from kids who have got sucked into working for the scammers as well as from the scammees. People keep saying, "If we'd only known..."

And of course there are lots of other scams out there which have been going on for years, lots of lowlifes making a good living out of knowing what to say and do to separate you from your money.

Apart from the old "buy a chocolate bar for charity" scam, fraudsters use internet scams, money transfer requests, pyramid schemes, fake lotteries, non-existent sweepstakes and dishonest contests. Some of these scams disappear for a few years, but then resurface with a slightly different twist, the classic example being the "Spanish prisoner" letter.

Who falls for this stuff? If you've been bitten, don't be ashamed. Most of us have been taken in at one time or another. Not becoming a victim is easier said than done. The best way to arm yourself is with information. The Competition Bureau of Canada has just published its version of a booklet which originated with its Australian counterpart, which explains how to protect yourself against fraud. It’s called The Little Black Book of Scams.

And get this. It's FREE. No strings attached. You can get it from a reputable source, namely Walt Whiteman. Just click here to open the .pdf file, which you can read or save. The file size is only 1.73 MB so it's well worth keeping and passing along to your friends.

The 12 scams of Christmas

This article by Tori Floyd appeared on The RIGHT Click, a Yahoo! news blog. It's worth passing along. Read and heed.

The holidays are a time when many of us think about connecting with old friends, traveling to be with family and shopping until we're blue in the face.

But all the busyness of the holiday season also makes it the perfect time for cybercriminals to prey on their unsuspecting victims online.

To help combat the perils of Christmas criminals, cyber security experts McAfee Inc. has released its annual list of the '12 Scams of the Holidays,' highlighting some of the ways internet users are open to fraudsters and hackers that can take advantage of you.

1. Hotel "wrong transaction" malware emails

Be wary of emails from hotels telling you they have run a "wrong transaction" on your credit card. These emails often have a "refund form" attached that when clicked, the user downloads malware onto his or her system. Only open attachments from senders you know, and contact the hotel listed in the email to confirm the mix-up before you click anything.

2. Mystery shopper scams

Getting a job as a mystery shopper seems an ideal holiday job for many people: you can make some extra cash and get some of your holiday shopping done at the same time. Unfortunately, the old adage of "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" holds up here, and scammers have been known to send text messages recruiting candidates. Once the receiver calls back the sender, the scammer asks for personal information like credit card and bank account numbers. Real recruiters wouldn't ask for this kind of information.

3. "I'm away from home" scams

If you make a point of mentioning when you'll be traveling out-of-town this holiday, you might want to think twice before you announce it on Facebook. We've all seen how the bad guys in Home Alone scout out a neighbourhood over Christmas to see who won't be home - thanks to people publicly sharing their plans online, burgalars don't even need to leave the house anymore. Make sure you only connect with people you know through social networks, and don't share with the masses when your house will be empty.

4. Phony Facebook promotions and contests

There are plenty of giveaways and promotions on Facebook that ask you to sign up in order to enter. Be wary of ones that need you to sign up with lengthy surveys gathering personal information, particularly from a company or person you don't recognize, as cybercriminals will collect this information and sell it to spam and telemarketing companies.

5. Scareware, or fake antivirus software

One of the most common scams online right now is 'scareware,' which warns users that their computer is or at risk of becoming infected, and they need to download security software right away. According to McAfee, one million users fall for this scam every day. Buy all security software directly from a trusted website or retailer, not through pop-ups that are likely seeking to do more harm than good.

6. Malicious content and websites

When you're searching for the perfect Christmas gift online, you'll likely come across a slew of ads for holiday ecards and ring tones. According to McAfee, a good percentage of these are likely malicious and worth avoiding. The company also says that out of the top 100 search terms each day, nearly 50 per cent lead to malicious websites.

7. Malicious mobile apps

With 60 per cent of the average Internet users now owning at least three digital devices per household, mobile devices are becoming a greater target for cybercriminals. Malicious apps are on the rise, designed to steal personal information or send out expensive text messages. Stick to apps downloaded from official app stores like iTunes, BlackBerry App World and the Android Market.

8. Mac malware

While they were once thought of as untouchable, Macs are taking up a much larger market share with home users, and are therefore becoming more tempting to hackers. McAfee says that malware that can attack Macs is on the rise of 10 per cent a month. Installing security software on all Macs and iOS devices is your best protection.

9. Zombie infections

No, there's no need to run out and stop chopping off the heads of the undead. Zombie infections are viruses that allow hackers to control your computer remotely. Like many of the other scams, avoid clicking on links from unknown senders and make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date.

10. Holiday phishing scams

The holidays are the perfect time for scammers to try and gather personal information from people. One popular scam poses as a courier, stating that you have a package to pick up, but need to fill in personal information before you can collect it. Call companies to confirm details before you click on a link. The same is true for charity solicitation scams: contact charities you want to donate to directly instead of clicking email requests.

11. Online coupon scams

The popularity of coupons hasn't gotten by scammers. Some fradulent sites offering coupons will also ask for banking information and if they do, you know it isn't legit. Never give out banking information to an unknown source. To add insult to injury, many of these coupons are fake, and customers won't be able to redeem them for the promised discounts.

12. "It" gift scams

Those hot gifts can be a pain to get, but never try and take the easy way out to get them. If you come across a website offering you the hottest holiday product for cheap, you'll often end up paying a lot more for it buy 'purchasing' it. Scammers won't send you the product (or at least not the real deal), and they walk away with your credit card information. Only purchase from reputable retailers.