The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) says it has charged a man in relation to a series of frauds involving commercial trailers posted for sale online.
Between Nov. 2022 and Jan. 2024, police say they received 21 reports related to commercial trailers that were fraudulently posted for sale online and then purchased. They say the ads and purchases included Super B, hopper, hi-boy and flat deck trailers, most of which were priced significantly below market value.
In each incident, the trailer was posted for sale via an online marketplace and once the sale was completed, the buyer was instructed to attend a lot to retrieve their new purchase. Sometime later, the buyer learned that the trailer was fraudulently posted for sale online and had been reported stolen by its rightful owners.
Mounties say in total, more than $920, 000 worth of trailers were fraudulently listed for sale and, to date, 13 of the 21 commercial trailers that were sold have been recovered. According to officials, buyers have currently lost a combined total of more than $140, 000.
In Oct. 2023 investigators say they successfully identified the suspect, and on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, police say they arrested Rayne Bernard Bart, 31, and his adult female partner in Spruce Grove, Alberta. Mounties say Bart is now facing 23 criminal charges and one Traffic Safety Act offence, including:
- Fraud over $5,000 (x3),
- Theft over $5,000 (x3),
- Utter a forged document (x5),
- Attempted fraud over $5,000 (x4) and
- Breach conditions of release order (x2).
Police say Bart’s female partner has since been released without charges.
Police say they continue to actively search for the outstanding trailers and believe there may be additional complainants.
“At this time, we believe there may be additional stolen trailers that were sold to unsuspecting buyers,” says Const. Cassandra Grant with EPS West Branch Patrol. “As a result, we are releasing information related to Mr. Bart’s sales, in hopes that anyone who has been defrauded and/or has had a similar type of trailer stolen comes forward to police.”
Investigators say they have determined that Bart primarily posted the trailers for sale on Kijiji, however, at times also posted ads on Facebook Marketplace. The trailers were typically listed for sale in Edmonton and Calgary, though most of the sales took place in the Edmonton area and majority of the trailers were picked up from lots within city limits. Mounties say Bart was known to use several aliases for his ads, including Ray Ford, Victoor Rapall and Ben L’Smith and often communicated with his buyers via text message.
Edmonton police are encouraging anyone planning to purchase a trailer via an online marketplace to take the following precautions:
- Ask the seller why they are selling the trailer.
- Obtain a bill of sale and verify the seller’s identity through photo ID. Inform the seller that you want this before meeting, this will deter those selling illegitimate property from selling the property.
- Check the trailer’s serial number on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) website to determine if it is stolen.
- Take screenshots of the advertisements, the advertisement ID number, the seller’s contact information, and all communications.
- When meeting to pick up the trailer, suggest meeting during the day at a public location, ideally with video surveillance, such as one of the EPS Buy and Sell Exchange Zones.
- If you locate property being sold that you believe to be stolen, call police at 780-423-4567.
- Remember: if the price appears too good to be true, it usually is.
Police are asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Bart to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.
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