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Authorities arrest five in foreign recruitment probe

July 11, 2014

Five people at Platinum Care, a Toronto-based foreign worker recruitment and placement agency, were arrested in an alleged scam involving the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced. The arrests follow a year-long investigation that centered on allegations individuals at Platinum Care used falsified documents to create employment offers to foreign workers, according to the RCMP.

The accused persons allegedly used various methods of identity theft to obtain personal information from unsuspecting Canadians and used this personal information to create fictitious employment offers for foreign workers, according to RCMP. It is alleged the accused are responsible for bringing 53 people into Canada under fraudulent means.

The RCMP, in partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, charged the Greater Toronto Area residents — which include the firm’s CEO — with numerous counts of identity theft, forgery and uttering forged documents under the Criminal Code of Canada.

The individuals have been arrested and charged are: Rosanna Lim, age 51, CEO of Platinum Care; Leahnette Acuna, age 50; Shannon Lim, age 25; Normita Mandoza, age 58; and Fazeina Sarlat, age 52. They have been released on conditions and are scheduled to appear in court Aug. 6.

Platinum Care provides homecare placement specialists, health care facility staffing and industry worker staffing, according to its website. Rosanna Lim declined to comment.