Fraud-charged Londoner swept up in crackdown on door-to-door scheme

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When London police arrested Austin Acheson in February and charged him in an alleged door-to-door fraud targeting seniors, investigators warned there could be more complainants.

Acheson, who was released from custody and ordered to live with his surety in Woodbridge, has been arrested again and charged in a similar scheme that provincial police say defrauded more than 200 people across Ontario.

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The alleged fraud involved salespeople convincing seniors and other vulnerable people to agree to home services or renovation work at high prices, claiming the cost would be covered by government grants or rebates, the OPP said.

“Homeowners were visited at their door and offered home services or installations . . . from furnaces to water filtration, air filtration, which they neither wanted or needed in many cases,” Det. Const. Erin Fraser of the OPP’s serious fraud office said in a video statement.

The fraudsters used fake agreements with the homeowners to register a notice of security interest – a legal right granted by a debtor to a creditor over the debtor’s property – without their knowledge. The salesperson would return to the home and offer to help repay the debt through a private mortgage that the homeowner would sign, leaving them on the hook for repaying the high-interest loan, police said.

The financial fallout for some complainants forced them to sell their homes, police said.

Acheson, 29, is charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000. Danielle Harrison, 39, of Mississauga is charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000 and possession of property valued over $5,000 obtained by crime. Both have been released from custody and are scheduled to appear in a Toronto court next month.

Investigators took the rare step of releasing video of Acheson and Harrison being arrested on Oct. 15 and 17, respectively, as part of Project Nettle.

The two-minute video shows an OPP officer pulling over a vehicle on a road leading to a highway and handcuffing a man wearing a hoodie and black pants. The officer searches the man before placing him in the back of an SUV. The video then moves to a suburban street, where two officers pull over an SUV and speak with the driver briefly before arresting her.

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Court documents show Acheson was on bail and under a court order to live with his surety in Woodbridge at the time of his most recent arrest. Under his release conditions, Acheson was ordered to surrender his passport to London police, not to contact a list of people or go near two locations and to only use a flip phone.

London police had arrested Acheson on Feb. 1 and charged him with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of fraud under $5,000.

Investigators determined that an elderly homeowner was visited by a door-to-door salesperson between July and December 2021 and signed a contract to make monthly payments to have their attic insulated and water filtration and water soften systems installed, police said at the time.

In 2022, the suspect convinced the homeowner to sign a mortgage application, pay for additional renovations and even apply for a reverse mortgage before a mortgage broker became suspicious, police said.

Police said the same suspect was involved in a similar incident in Cambridge and released a mug shot of Acheson along with a list of his aliases – Victor, Victor Rodrigues, Cliff, Clifford and Don – warning there could be additional complainants.

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Attempts to reach Acheson through his surety were unsuccessful.

“Sorry, I don’t feel comfortable answering any questions,” his surety said before hanging up.

Acheson’s lawyer, Harval Bassi, declined comment, saying the matter is before the courts.

The latest charges against Acheson and Harrison bring the total number of people charged under Project Nettle to five. Investigators also have obtained Canada-wide arrest warrants for three other men: Anas Ayyoub, 23, of Toronto; Muhammad Wasiq Afzal, 28, of Scarborough; and Muhammad Waqar Afzal, 33, of Pickering.

Fraser, who declined an interview request, citing the ongoing investigation, said homeowners should be suspicious of any door-to-door salespeople offering services.

“If you do need something for your home, do the research and find out reputable companies,” she said. “Don’t feel pressure to sign any documents and certainly don’t sign blank documents.”

dcarruthers@postmedia.com

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