Charges laid in ‘deceptive’ Canadian passport website scam

Two York Region residents are facing multiple charges for allegedly running a “deceptive” passport website claiming to be associated with the Canadian government.

John Jesse Breslin and Phoebe Hui Ting Wong were charged on July 22 under the Competition Act for promoting a service using false or misleading representations. They’re also being charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime.

Investigators with the federal Competition Bureau said the pair operated a business under the names “Passport Online” and “Passport Express” that used “misleading representations” that “allegedly misled Canadians into believing they were dealing directly with the Government of Canada for expedited passport services” from 2016 to 2020.

Breslin was the owner and “main decision-maker” of the company, while Wong was a manager, according to investigators. The charges have yet to be tested in court.

The Competition Bureau said that the investigation was carried out with assistance from Toronto police, as well as information obtained from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Better Business Bureau.