Two more charged, another suspect still sought in identity fraud probe

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Police have charged two more people and are seeking another suspect in a money-laundering investigation focused on synthetic identity fraud.

Sound familiar? It should.

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Toronto Police arrested 12 people and laid 102 charges in April 2024 during the first phase of Project Deja Vu, while seizing dozens of synthetic identity documents, electronic templates to create false documents, hundreds of payment cards associated with accounts obtained fraudulently and about $300,000 in cash.

The status of those cases was not immediately available.

Wanted Brampton suspect, 59, known to use alias

The three people accused of new crimes, announced Thursday by police, were allegedly involved in a synthetic-identity fraud scheme from 2017 to 2023 and obtained residential property mortgages in the GTA with the aim of laundering the proceeds of the fraud scheme.

Misbah Akram, 55, of Brampton, is charged with fraud over $5,000, laundering proceeds of crime, possession of proceeds of crime, unauthorized possession of credit card data, making a false statement to procure a loan and causing another person to act on a forged document.

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Saqlain Akram, 28, of Brampton, is charged with possessing a credit card obtained by offence, unauthorized possession of credit card data, making a false statement to procure a loan and causing another person to act on a forged document.

Police are also looking for Muhammad Akram, 59, of Brampton, who uses the alias Chaudhry Akram. He is wanted for fraud over $5,000, laundering the proceeds of crime, possession of proceeds of crime and unauthorized possession of credit card data.

“Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact police,” the financial crimes unit said in a news release.

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Similar schemes known to mask proceeds of ‘serious’ crimes

Police began investigating a synthetic-identity fraud scheme in October 2022 with those involved allegedly creating more than 680 unique synthetic identities – including fraudulent government identification documents – since 2016 to open bank and credit accounts at financial institutions across Ontario.

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Police said fraudulent payments were allegedly made in “many cases” to allow the accused to draw beyond their defined limits of credit accounts. The scheme had resulted in confirmed losses of at least $4 million at the time.

The accused in the first batch of arrests hailed from across the GTA as well as from the Kitchener and Windsor areas.

“This isn’t just about fraud,” Det. David Coffey said in April 2024, while briefing the media. “Accounts obtained under synthetic identities are known to facilitate other serious criminal offences including the laundering of proceeds derived from human trafficking, drug trafficking and armed robbery.”

Anyone with information on Muhammad Akram’s whereabouts or other information related to the case is asked to contact police at 416-808-7300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477 or 222tips.com.

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