Latest news with #stolenEquipment
CTV News
29-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Barrie police arrest two suspects following recovery of stolen equipment valued at more than $1 million
Barrie Police arrest two suspects following recovery of stolen equipment valued at more than $1 million dollars. Barrie Police arrest two suspects following recovery of stolen equipment valued at more than $1 million dollars. CTV's Pat Foran reports. Police arrest two suspects following recovery of stolen equipment valued at more than $1 million Following CTV News reports about businesses selling equipment only to be scammed by fake bank drafts, another victim has come forward and says he was defrauded of $42,000 with a fraudulent cheque. Randy Swain of Kingston, Ont., said he was selling two snowmobiles and a trailer earlier this year when a buyer offered to pay $42,000 using a bank draft. 'I checked the driver's licence, I checked the bank draft to make sure everything looked correct to me,' said Swain. 'They are just that good, it's on a paper that comes from the bank.' When Swain took the bank draft to his bank, he said it was approved, but two days later the funds were withdrawn from his account. 'Two days later, the bank is withdrawing the money from my account after they said everything was good to go,' said Swain. Patrick Binnette of Lancaster, Ont., previously told CTV News he also was defrauded through a fake bank draft. Another story told to CTV came from Todd Moddejonge of Newmarket, who sold a spray foam trailer for $155,940, but was paid with a fraudulent bank draft. Following a three-month investigation, Barrie police charged two people with a long list of offences after they recovered $1 million worth of personal watercraft, pontoon boats, construction equipment, high-end watches, and vehicles. While it's not clear whether the three fraud victims CTV News did stories with are connected to this investigation, police say the stolen goods recovered were also purchased with fake bank drafts and cheques. Barrie police believe the two people they arrested are responsible for other thefts using those methods. 'We are looking at over $1 million in property that has been seized, a significant amount of Canadian currency and a lot of stolen property,' said Peter Leon, Corporate Communications Coordinator with Barrie Police Service. Along with the stolen goods, police said they've also seized 45 firearms. 32-year-old Farshid Ayon of Springwater Township, and 26-year-old Olivia Osborne of Toronto are both facing multiple charges including theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, motor vehicle theft, fraud over $5,000, uttering forged documents, identity theft and identity fraud. fraud arrests 32-year-old Farshid Ayon of Springwater Township, and 26-year-old Olivia Osborne of Toronto are both facing multiple charges including theft and fraud. The three people who reached out to CTV News have been in touch with the investigators and police are urging anyone who has had property stolen with fake bank drafts or fraudulent cheques to come forward. 'We anticipate there will be more victims and we are asking that if anyone recognizes these two suspects, to get in touch with police,' said Detective Sergeant Clint McLellan of South Simcoe Police. Police are also advising the public to remain cautious when selling high-value items and accepting bank drafts. They advise you to do transactions at a police station, or to make sure bank drafts clear at the bank before releasing the property.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lenexa landscape business owner scammed through Facebook Marketplace
LENEXA, Kan. – The Lenexa Police Department has had multiple recent cases involving stolen items for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Ryan Ross thought he struck a good deal on a piece of equipment for his landscape company on Facebook Marketplace. Little did he know it was stolen from a retailer before it was listed for sale. Kansas City, Kansas crash leaves motorcyclist dead Sunday evening 'He thought the sale was legitimate. Turns out it was actually a stolen piece of equipment from Home Depot, and we had to sadly go and repossess that. So now he's out of the piece of equipment, and he's out $10,000,' said Lenexa PD Public Information Officer Danny Chavez. Ryan Ross is the owner of Ascend Lawn & Landscape. Like many others in the industry, he uses Facebook Marketplace regularly to buy and sell equipment. He was shocked to learn that the Ditch Witch he bought had been stolen before it was listed for sale. 'Everything you buy off Marketplace, equipment-wise, you pay for in cash. And it's crazy because we've had it for a while, and then the police officers showed up at the job site, and there was a tracker in it, and it had been stolen from a Home Depot, I think they said in Colorado,' Ross said. Ross says the seller was from out of state. 'It was a good deal, and there are a lot of good deals to be had. So they said they would bring it down here, so I bought it,' Ross explained. He's now unable to find the seller's Facebook account. 'I actually had a phone number too, and we were texting back and forth. I screenshotted all the texts, which was great, but that phone number is no longer in service. So these people know what they're doing,' Ross explained. Ross said it was challenging for his small business to lose the equipment and the money, but they were over. He hopes his story helps other people avoid similar scams. New 52,000 square foot sports facility in Lee's Summit set to open 'Everything you're buying that has significant value has a serial number, model number, etc. What I learned through this was that you can take that serial number and usually run it through the manufacturer's system or somebody's system and try to find if it's stolen,' He said. 'Probably the biggest takeaway is that if it seems too good to be true, maybe it is.' Lenexa police talked to FOX4 last week about safety tips and ways to avoid scams when using online resale sites. You can find those tips here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
