Toronto police have arrested a man after over a decade of defrauding advertisers for a fraudulent publication which he claimed was widely distributed throughout Ontario.
Police allege that between April 2011 and May 2023, 58-year-old Azher Hyder would contact business owners to solicit funds for a magazine called “Ontario Police Public Safety News.”
Due to to the name of the publication, investigators say victims believed the accused was affiliated with police services.
Hyder claimed that the advertising funds would be donated to free community programs and educational programs for children in exchange for marketing the businesses in the magazine, police say.
However, not only was the magazine not widely distributed, but the programs advertisers believed they were funding did not exist.
Hyder was arrested and charged with fraud over $5,000. He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 10.
Investigators ask anyone who believes they may have been a victim to contact police.
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