UMVA has learned that a brazen crime wave has been sweeping across Canada, with foreign nationals arriving in the country and immediately beginning to steal from unsuspecting citizens.
The alleged culprits, predominantly from Romania, have been targeting everything from cars and jewelry to businesses and vulnerable seniors, with authorities estimating that they have racked up over $2.6 million in losses in Durham alone.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the thieves have been exploiting Canada's lenient asylum and refugee system, claiming asylum or refugee status and then proceeding to commit crimes with near impunity.
Once in the country, they allegedly use their mobility to evade law enforcement, frequently traveling between jurisdictions and committing crimes before disappearing back into the shadows.
The Durham Regional Police Service has taken a major step in cracking down on these crime tourists with Project Jetsetter, a massive bust that has resulted in 46 arrests and 1,442 total criminal charges.
The investigation, which spanned over 5,000 hours from 2019 to 2026, uncovered a complex web of crimes including large-scale retail theft, vehicle scams, insurance fraud, and jewelry thefts.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the alleged thieves have been targeting seniors, using tactics such as distraction thefts and fake gifts to steal from their victims, often without them even realizing they've been targeted.
In Durham, jewelry distraction thefts targeting seniors have jumped 268%, with the police chief describing the situation as "the tip of the iceberg" and calling on the federal government to address the issue once and for all.
The police chief expressed frustration with the current system, stating that the alleged thieves "go back, change their names, and come back, commit more offenses" and that "as a country, what we have to decide is this what we want?"
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that many of the alleged culprits are able to enter the country illegally, often by slipping in from the U.S. and then changing their names and committing crimes.
The investigation continues, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward and help bring these alleged thieves to justice.
