Two people are heading to Calgary to face the courts after being busted in B.C. as players in an international fraud ring which tricked numerous victims into buying non-existent vintage cars.
Police claim the Internet fraud ring bilked at least 11 victims out of about $400,000.
Calgary police commercial crime Const. Dean Nichol -- one of several investigators involved in the nine-month probe -- said two people from Sweden contacted cops here in October claiming to be duped out of thousands of dollars in an apparent Internet scam.
"Basically, they had seen advertisements for vintage Cadillacs and antique-type vehicles," said Nicho.
"One fellow spent $80,000 US to purchase three Cadillacs -- and that's just one victim."
Authorities, including Vernon and Kelowna RCMP, the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, police in several American states, the Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Border Services and Swedish cops, followed the money trail determining victims wired funds to Calgary banks which were then forwarded to B.C. The suspects then engaged victims in e-mails and phone calls to arrange for purchase of the vintage vehicles.
Nichol said few victims ever got the vehicle they paid for while those who did ended up with parts for ones which were "completely derelict, rusted out" and nothing like the ones advertised.
Vernon RCMP Const. Kevin Cyr said the Internet removes boundaries for criminals who use it as a medium to ply their trade -- sometimes around the world.
Akthem Saadi Yousif, 31, faces 16 fraud and theft-related charges while Allana Nicole Austring, 31, faces two fraud-related charges.
