Repos Possibly Connected to Fraud Case Raise Concern in Canada

The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council is looking to uncover all the details of several repossessions related to a fraud and forgery case involving a pair of independent dealers.

The council indicated in a newspaper report the repos were for units sold by Big 3 Pre-Owned Auto Sales and 5 Diamond Motors in Windsor, Ontario.

Council spokesman Terry O’Keefe told The Windsor Star it wants the finance company to share further explanation after it repossessed vehicles from alleged fraud victims.

“We have reached out to a finance company involved in this," O’Keefe said. “We are trying, whenever possible, to insert ourselves into the situation to make sure that consumers are protected and come to as little financial harm as possible.”

The report revealed dealership owner Jamal Hazime, finance manager Sabhi (Alex) Bakir, and Five Diamond manager Souheil Yazbek, are each facing at least 17 charges including fraud, forgery and public mischief.

The newspaper account stated that several dozen more charges are pending against the men, including Hazime, who reportedly fled to Lebanon after receiving court permission to go there for a temporary visit and never returned.

The Star asserted the trio allegedly defrauded customers by charging them higher sale prices, finance rates and loan terms than agreed to and forging their signatures on contracts. Police said the dealers also sold customers non-existent warranties.

O’Keefe wouldn’t confirm the name of the company OMVIC contacted, but The Star said it was Carfinco.

The company’s vice-president of operations declined to comment to the newspaper.

“I have nothing to say,” Rick Hewson insisted. “It’s our policy not to comment on customer files, so we have no comment.”

The original newspaper report can be found here.