Toronto police say a man is facing several charges in a fraud investigation involving online shopping returns.
In a news release issued Saturday, police said that between June 1 and Feb. 18, a man ordered different products online from companies throughout Canada.
Officers alleged that once the man received the items, he contacted the company and said he wanted to return them.
Packages were then dropped off at different Canada Post offices in Toronto but “unknown to Canada Post, the man had put a device in the package which would eventually remove the labels,” police alleged.
The packages couldn’t be returned, but the companies still issued refunds as they were received by Canada Post, police said.
Police said that on Thursday, officers executed a search warrant in the area of Don Mills Road and Finch Avenue East and recovered $20,000 in merchandise and $25,000 in cash.
Twenty-eight-year-old Toronto resident Christopher Lim has been charged with 23 counts of public mischief, 12 counts of fraud under $5,000 and 18 counts of possession of property obtained by crime, among other charges.
He appeared in court Thursday morning.