RCMP Arrest Alleged ‘Money Mules’ 

RCMP Veterans’ Association

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The Force arrests alleged ‘money mules’ tied to overseas scam calls

Dear Association Members,

What follows is a CBC story covering the arrest of a Toronto-area couple implicated in a number of tax scams most notably the one where the callers purported to be officers from the Canada Revenue Agency.

Of particular significance is the level of losses experienced by Canadians between 2014 and 2019 – more than $17.2 million.

For us, the Association members, this story also highlights the vital importance of the RCMP continuing to operate financial crime units, particularly in Ontario.

In a recent interview (January 15, 2020) on Global News Radio 640, former Director of the Proceeds of Crime Unit, Garry Clement commented that shutting down the financial crime unit means it’s a good day for organized crime and for those that want to launder money.

Despite some infusions of capital to supplement financial crime investigations ( ref: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-money-laundering-1.5173607 )it is clear that the Force is underfunded.  A list of the top paid police forces in Canada places the Force in the 99th., position out of 100.  (  ref: https://therepository.ca/top-100 ).  The Force is losing members at an alarming rate and as a result detachments sometimes are short-handed for months waiting for a replacement for a member who has left and, as noted, some functions are being terminated in order, in some instances, to facilitate funding of what are perceived as higher priority investigations (counter-terrorism).

Our Association did write a letter in 2017 to then Minister Ralph Goodale expressing deep disappointment regarding the insufficient retroactive pay increases for the Regular Members and the expectation that our members be provided with an update on governmental intentions concerning the welfare of the RCMP members.  When this was met with silence from the Minister, a second letter was sent, several months later with a similar result – an acknowledgement of receipt.
(ref: https://rcmpva.org/letter-to-minister-goodale/ )

Canadians need a robustly funded national police force and the members of the Force need our support to achieve this.  We are currently working on determining the most effective means of providing it.

Above all, though, congratulations to the Force for such a successful investigation.

The “Money Mules” article follows.

James Forrest
Director of Communications
RCMP Veterans’ Association

RCMP Insp. Jim Ogden announces the arrest of two Canadians in connection with the infamous CRA telephone scam that originates overseas during a news conference in Milton, Ont., on Friday. (Michael Wilson/CBC)

David Common, Nelisha Vellani and Andrew Sampson · CBC News · Posted: Feb 14, 2020 10:29 AM ET |

Federal authorities have arrested a Toronto-area husband and wife accused of being Canadian accomplices to an enormous global scam involving overseas call centres, including the so-called CRA tax scam.

The calls will be familiar to many Canadians: Scammers, commonly in India, impersonate officials from the Canada Revenue Agency and insist the recipient owes taxes and must pay immediately, or else face arrest or imprisonment.

Gurinder Dhaliwal, 37, and Inderpreet Dhaliwal, 36, both of Brampton, Ont., were arrested and charged on Wednesday, said Insp. Jim Ogden, of the RCMP’s financial crime unit for the Greater Toronto Area.

They each face one count of fraud over $5,000, one count of laundering the proceeds of crime and one count of property obtained by crime.

“We have disrupted the necessary flow of money from Canada to India, which will have a big impact on the operation and bottom line of scammers,” Ogden said Friday, in announcing the charges.

The link to continue the story is
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rcmp-cra-telephone-scam-fraud-investigation-1.5463838