Uxbridge man and woman arrested in fraud investigation

Lisha Van Nieuwenhove

The Toronto Police Service (TPS) says it wants to make the public aware of arrests recently made in a fraud investigation.

In a police report released on March 20, the TPS arrested Benn Taylor Raddysh, 21, and Alexandra Mekhdi-Gamsari, 19, both of Uxbridge for Fraud over $5,000.

Alexandra Mekhdi-Gamsari and Benn Taylor Raddysh (below), both of Uxbridge, were recently arrested by Toronto Police for fraud related to selling used vehicles.

In the report, the TPS alleges that a man and a woman used Facebook Marketplace to advertise vehicles for sale using fake aliases. The vehicles were falsely advertised as having low kilometres and/or the year of the vehicle was falsely advertised as being newer than they actually were. Some of the vehicles were salvaged.

The report says that unsuspecting victims met the suspects to test drive the vehicles at different locations throughout the GTA. After the sale was completed, upon registering the vehicles, the report says victims would then learn that the odometers had been tampered with, the ownerships altered, and/or the vehicle required extensive repairs.

Taylor Raddysh and Mekhdi-Gamsari are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice, 10 Armoury Street, in Toronto, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in room 203 at 11 a.m.

Police say they believe there may be more victims of this fraud and are asking them to contact investigators.

This type of fraud is known as Curbsiding. Curbsiding occurs when someone misrepresents themselves in the private sale of an automobile and conceals information about a vehicle to a buyer, such as odometer tampering, stolen vehicle status, undisclosed accident history, and mechanical defects.

Police remind residents that, prior to purchasing a vehicle, the seller is legally required to provide a UVIP (used vehicle information package) from the Ministry of Transportation. The package contains a description of the vehicle and its Ontario history. Buyers should also have a licensed mechanic inspect vehicles prior to purchase.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com