Canada-wide arrest warrant issued for man charged in alleged rental scam

The RCMP in British Columbia has issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for a man who allegedly posed as a landlord and scammed international students out of tens of thousands of dollars.

Toronto police arrested Bum Joon Kim, 39, on Monday and charged him with three counts of fraud over $5,000 and 18 of fraud under $5,000.

It’s alleged since July, Kim has been posting ads for apartment rentals online and showing prospective tenants apartments while pretending to be a landlord.

Kim reportedly took cash deposits from foreign students for units that were not his to rent.

Nine new complainants have come forward since the arrest, bringing the total amount of the fraud to $66,600 from 30 students, according to Crown lawyer Stefania Fericean.

Kim was back in court at Old City Hall on Friday to face the new charges.

He has been ordered not to contact his victims.

Kim is now being held on a Canada-wide arrest warrant from B.C. where he faces similar charges. He will be back in court on Nov. 10.

The RCMP had been working on extending Kim’s province-wide arrest warrant since CityNews first reported on the story of two international students who said they separately handed over thousands of dollars in rent to Kim for the same Toronto condo.

 

With files from Marianne Boucher


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