Man allegedly defrauded dozens across the country
People across the country allege they have been scammed by a man who took various amounts of money from them before disappearing.
People from Edmonton to Winnipeg say Alex Quang came into their lives, took money and left.
None of the allegations have been proven in court, and he has not been charged. However, Edmonton police are seeking him for questioning.
In October 2011, Brett Sander took Quang in as a roommate in Winnipeg after posting an ad online.
Sander said Quang allegedly started asking for financial help.
"He was very smooth, had a lot of us over for dinner and what not," said Sander. "I mean – every once in a while, he'd borrow some cash here and there, he'd pay me back most of the time."
Sander said Quang eventually moved away, saying he would come back. Sander said he was still owed money, but decided to cut his losses and move on.
In September, Quang re-emerged in Edmonton and got himself a job at the Culina Mill Creek restaurant.
The chefs said Quang gained their sympathy with a personal story.
Stephanie Dore said Quang told his colleagues that his mother had recently been killed in a car accident.
Restaurant workers allege he kept asking for small loans, often taking money with the promise of helping them repair their cars.
Quang eventually stopped showing up for work.
While sharing their stories on a Facebook page, Quang's former coworkers found another page with similar comments and warnings created in 2010.
Some blog posts and Facebook pages claim Quang is from Montreal or worked there for an unknown period of time.
People from Saskatoon, Calgary and Regina also claim to be victims of Quang.
Fraud experts said similar crimes happen more often than people think. They said fraudsters take advantage of the fact their victims won't be seeking to earn back the small amounts of money they lent.
CBC News has tried to find out where Quang lives and get in touch with him, but our calls were not returned.
