Calgary man arrested for vehicle repair fraud

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A young Calgary man allegedly victimized more than 50 people across the country in a vehicle repair scam, police say.

Last November, a man in Newfoundland complained to police that he'd sent money in exchange for a vehicle part on a buy and sell website. Once he sent the money, however, the person he'd been communicating with was unreachable. The part was never delivered.

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Further investigation revealed that dozens of others had fallen victim to similar scams where someone selling a specific auto part would request that the purchaser send payment up front. The part would never be sent. In other cases, the man would allegedly offer to work on a vehicle after being paid up front. He would then either not complete the work or tell the owner the vehicle had been stolen.

District 4 officers arrested a 26-year-old man last week. He is charged with one count of theft of a motor vehicle and 10 counts of fraud under $5,000.

RCMP, Saskatoon Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary also contributed to the investigation.