Miss something this week? Don’t panic. CBC’s Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.
Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.
How this couple’s home was sold without their knowledge
When Stephanie logged online to pay her monthly bills last year, she noticed her monthly mortgage had disappeared from the homepage of her Canadian bank account. Without her consent, the mortgage had been closed.
Stephanie and her husband, Derrick, moved overseas for work four years ago and were renting their Toronto home until they returned to Canada. They intended to move back in.
When the property manager went to their home, a stranger opened the door and claimed they owned the house.
When Stephanie and Derrick checked the title, the stranger did, in fact, own the property.
CBC isn’t using Stephanie or Derrick’s real names because they are victims of identity theft. The couple’s case is one of at least four in the Greater Toronto Area where homeowners had their houses sold out from under them by organized crime groups, according to a CBC investigation.
The couple says the fraudsters who impersonated them to sell their house consistently spelled one of their last names wrong throughout the transaction, which was inconsistent with the fake ID they were using.
“I…
