Vintage car scam used Calgary bank accounts

A B.C. man has been charged with defrauding victims in the United States using bank accounts held in Calgary.

The charges result from a two-year investigation by the Calgary police and RCMP into a series of internet frauds where people were duped into paying for vintage automobiles that were never delivered.

Kurtis Eugene Pomerleau of Kelowna, B.C., was arrested and charged last week with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of theft over $5,000, Calgary police said Wednesday.

'This is becoming more and more common and unfortunately because of the international elements involved, these can be very difficult and very time-consuming to investigate.' —Const. Dean Nichol, Calgary police commercial crime unit

Const. Dean Nichol of the Calgary force's commercial crime unit said two victims in the U.S. were defrauded of about $100,000 through the scheme that used auction website eBay.

One victim in Arizona tried to buy a 1930s-edition Ford in 2004, while another in California wired money in 2005 believing it was for the purchase of a '60s-vintage Corvette.

They were asked to wire transfer their money to business bank accounts in Calgary where the suspect once lived, said Nichol. The money was then directed elsewhere.

"This is becoming more and more common and unfortunately because of the international elements involved, these can be very difficult and very time-consuming to investigate," Nichol told CBC News.

He said Pomerleau, who is free on bail, is before the courts in Kelowna for other unrelated charges of internet fraud skimming from May 2007.

Nichol advised that consumers never use a wire transfer to send money in an internet transaction. He said the best protection is to use an independent third-party payment service, such as PayPal, when possible.

"That way you can complete the sale and you can ensure that what you're purchasing either exists or is the item you're actually purchasing," he said.