Just days after issuing a Canada-wide warrant, police have arrested Naman Grover, of Mississauga. He was taken into custody and charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of the proceeds of crime, and money laundering. Many of the local “money mules” were recruited in their home countries and came to Canada on student visas to commence their nefarious work, say the Mounties. The arrests were made as part of Project OCTAVIA, an operation that commenced in 2018 to combat these sorts of phone scams.

TORONTO - Another Indian man working for Phone Scam Criminals and suspected to be their “money mule” has been arrested in Mississauga.

As part of ongoing investigations into international Canada Revenue Agency phone scams, Mounties in Toronto have arrested a 22-year-old man who was allegedly recruited by overseas scammers to locally receive and launder their ill-gotten gains, reported Toronto Sun.

Just days after issuing a Canada-wide warrant, police have arrested Naman Grover, of Mississauga. He was taken into custody and charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of the proceeds of crime, and money laundering.

While the notorious CRA scams are operated and managed overseas — most commonly in India and Pakistan — the RCMP says scammers often make use of operatives in Canada both as a means to process and launder locally-obtained money, but also to distance the scammers from the stolen money until it’s been “made clean.”

Many of the local “money mules” were recruited in their home countries and came to Canada on student visas to commence their nefarious work, say the Mounties.

The arrests were made as part of Project OCTAVIA, an operation that commenced in 2018 to combat these sorts of phone scams.

“Money mules are a crucial component of this complex scam as they facilitate the flow of victims’ funds to members of these illicit organizations,” said RCMP Insp. Jim Ogden. “Arrests and charges send a clear and important message – those who get involved as money mules will be arrested, criminally charged and prosecuted.”

Since 2014, Canadians have been bilked out of nearly $18 million in CRA, bank investigator and tech support scams, reported Toronto Sun.