Impersonating a Canada Post delivery person was one ruse used by a fraudster who allegedly ran a GTA-wide, online shopping scam using stolen credit card information to buy about $40,000 worth of electronics.

The man made 14 separate orders which included laptops, digital cameras and in one instance a drone from Best Buy, using a copy of victims’ credit cards, then had the goods shipped to the cardholders’ homes.

Sometimes the man would lay in wait for the delivery person and sign for the package himself. On other occasions, “... they would wait for the package to be delivered and actually knock on the door and claim that they were with Canada Post and that the package had been delivered in error, and they were there to retrieve the package,” said Det. Mark Underwood.

Underwood said police are unclear exactly how the man got the victims’ credit card information. When the fraudster did however, Underwood said, he would go to a post office and using the ID, redirect a victim’s mail.

Next stop would be the victim’s bank — where the man would ask for a replacement card, again with the stolen ID.

“And then with the card, or the data from the card at that point, they’d go online and just make a purchase,” Underwood said.

When the package arrived at a victim’s house, the man would be waiting to intercept the delivery-person — and sign for the package using the fake ID. Best Buy ships only to the address that matches the credit card holder’s address, Underwood said, so the man needed to send it to the victims’ homes before picking it up.

Victims lived across the GTA — from Burlington to Whitby and as far north as Minden. Police made the connection between all 14 cases when two victims came forward with footage of the suspect at their doors.

Halton Regional Police, along with officers from Durham, York and Peel, eventually tracked down and arrested a suspect after a four-month investigation. Canada Post also co-operated with officers, police said.

The Canada Post ruse happened in four of the 14 cases of fraud, Underwood said, adding that the suspect didn’t use a Canada Post uniform or fake employee ID.

In one of those cases, Underwood said, a woman called a victim’s house to let them know an “employee” would be arriving to retrieve a package. Police don’t know who she is and are trying to find her — and anyone else who may have helped with the scam.

Petar Gyoshev, 24, is facing 54 charges relating to fraud under $5,000, unauthorized use of credit card data, mail theft and possession of a counterfeit mark. He appeared in Milton Provincial Court on Tuesday.

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