Halton police charge Whitby man in $25K Kijiji fraud case

Halton Regional Police have charged a man in connection with a series of alleged thefts on Kijiji.

Police allege that between October 2018 and February 2019, the man sought out people who were selling diamond rings or loose diamonds online.

Investigators say the man used several different aliases and purported to be an employee of Morgan Stanley who would arrange to meet his alleged victims in public locations.

The man allegedly gave the sellers a certified cheque in exchange for the diamond items and left the area using public transit.

Police say that more than $25,000 worth of certified cheques the man handed out turned out to be fraudulent.

Officers conducted a search warrant at the suspect’s home in Whitby on May 2, but he wasn’t there, and an arrest warrant was issued.

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Michael Morris, 30, of Whitby, was arrested on Thursday without incident while leaving a residence in Toronto.

He has been charged with four counts each of fraud over $5,000 and using a forged document, two counts of personation with intent and one count of possession of counterfeit money.