Fraudulent cheque scam targeted at Yee Hong

TORONTO, ON, May 27, 2015 –

Fraudulent cheques illegally issued in the name of Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care were discovered in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The cheques were sent out through different company names, all purporting to be sponsored by the non-profit geriatric care organization.

The scam required recipients to deposit the counterfeit cheques of a few thousand dollars each into their personal bank accounts and then send a scanned copy of the deposit slips back to the scam artists through email, in order to obtain the personal and financial information of the depositors.

A spokesperson for Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care said today (Wednesday) that the Centre had been informed of the scam and had in the last few days received a few telephone enquiries regarding the suspicious cheques. After thorough investigation, the cheques were confirmed to be counterfeit and not issued by the Centre. This incident is believed to be a typical cheque fraud scam and has been reported to the police.

The spokesman reminded the fraudulent cheques recipients, mostly South Asians in the three Canadian cities, not to respond to the deposit requests. Cashing counterfeit cheques may result in liability or criminal offence.

Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care is one of the largest non-profit geriatric organizations in Canada. Yee Hong operates four long-term care facilities in the Greater Toronto Area. Every day, about 16,000 seniors and their family members use Yee Hong’s services and facilities.

Media contact: Miss Clara Tse, Public Relations Officer, 416 321 0777 Ext 1826.