A man from the Waterloo, Ontario region, who was convicted of cheating on several women for over $ 150,000 about 15 years ago, is once again facing fraud charges.
In 2006, Jivesh Jagota was called Casanova online and convicted of cheating on a dozen local women, according to the daily Waterloo Region Record.
The crimes followed a similar modus operandi: Jagota met the women on the dating site Lots of fish and extorted thousands of dollars from them, often pretending to be a lawyer, medical resident or college student, the daily reading.
At the time, he was sentenced to a three -year term.
Today, Jagota is accused of cheating on a woman from Woodstock. He allegedly extorted $ 6,800 from her in 2015.
Woodstock police confirmed they received a fraud report in April 2016 and arrested Jagota six years later in January 2022.
Long lead time
A woman, named Anna, said she dated Jagota between March 2019 and April 2020. She added that she hired a private investigator after having doubts about the man. This detective would have discovered that a warrant of arrest had been issued against Jagota, but he was still released. The detective allegedly pushed the police to arrest Jagota.
CBC News keeps Anna’s full name confidential for security reasons. Radio-Canada does the same.
I want him to accounthe says.
Jagota’s attorney Nick Cake told CBC that his client had recently learned of an outstanding warrant of arrest against him. It became Jagota released from the position of concerned after surrenderingsaid Me Cake in an email.
The case is continuing in court and any comment on the alleged facts would not be appropriate at this time.He added.
None of these allegations have been substantiated in court.
A lawyer named Jay
Anna also claims she was a victim of Casanova online. According to him, he claimed that he was a lawyer named Jay Singh. They met on the dating site Lots of fishwas drinking coffee and was immediately struck, he said.
Things are happening so fastsaid Anna. I think he told me he probably loved me on the third date, and I believed him.
While they were together, Anna said he gave her about $ 9,550, assuming she was using the money to expand her law practice, prepare her house for sale, and buy her a engagement ring. correlation. He thought they would form a life together, he said.
But in January 2020, Anna realized something was wrong. They never included a long weekend or vacation. He tried to find it on the website of the Law Society of Ontario, without success.
In April, Anna decided to stop everything. He asked her to return the money and stop contacting him.
Something fishy
He wasn’t casual to me. I planned to live with this manhe says.
Anna even asked Casanova online to stop contacting him, he decided to dig deeper into the matter. He hired a private detective. This one quickly found out that Jay Singh was in fact Jagota.
Anna then sought to know more about the man. He found the report from Itala from 2006. It usually described a scam similar to the one I experienced.
Naloko
Soon, Anna saw a profile on Lots of fish which featured a photo of her ex -boyfriend. This profile was uploaded by someone who wanted to warn women on the website not to date him.
Through this profile, he interacted with other women who had all dated the same man. They were all convinced that it was Jagota even though he presented himself under various false identities. Two of them told CBC they met him back then Lots of fish while using the name Robert Rhio Singh.
Together, the women’s group hired a second private investigator, who discovered the remaining Woodstock warrant for alleged fraud in 2015. Using social media, the women identified where Jagota lived and reported it to police in Hamilton – if where he lives – and Woodstock police, Anna said.
When asked about the situation, a Hamilton police spokesman confirmed that Woodstock investigators had requested the department’s assistance with an outstanding warrant. They executed the warrant on Jan. 5, 2022, the spokesman said.
Ongoing civil action
Now, Anna has recovered some of the money she says she gave to Jagota, but she filed a lawsuit to get the rest back.
His statement, filed on April 9, 2021, states that after their breakup, Jagota sent Anna six checks for a total of $ 4,098, but he still owed her $ 5,473, including fees to bank withdrawal. He is also seeking damages.
In a defense statement, Jagota said he only received a $ 5,500 loan from Anna, which he has since paid off in full. The statement acknowledges that Jagota and Anna met online and he used the name Jay Singh, but that was because professional concerns about his private life.
The defense statement also stated that the relationship between Jagota and Anna was only temporary. without large long -term expectations on either side.
The CBC contacted paralegal Joseph Kazubek, who is representing Jagota in the civil case involving Anna, for comment. He replied to the CBC in an email that their position was Anna’s accusation inaccurate and unfoundedbut refused to speak further at this time.
Online romance and scams
Scams of this type are not uncommon, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center.
Between 2019 and 2021, the amounts earned by these scammer will more than double nationwide, from nearly $ 26.2 million to $ 64.6 million. $ 17.8 million has already been lost due to these scams in the first quarter of 2022.
Spokesman Jeff Horncastle said these scams have always existed, but the internet has allowed them to thrive. He added that many of these scams happen without any in-person encounter, based on virtual friendships.
I think [la pandémie] it also played an important role as people found more integration online said Mr. Horncastle, the center’s Acting Communications and Client Outreach Officer.
It’s easier to prevent a scam from happening than to return your money after the fact, he added. When you’re dating someone, he adds:
Do not share personal photos online.
Don’t give money to someone you haven’t met or invested in them.
Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.
Be careful who you share your photos with, especially intimate photos.
As for Anna, she believes dating sites need to be better controlled. She also advises women to research people they have met online, even after meeting in person.
This may sound cruel, but unfortunately people can go online [et] pretend to be who you want them to behe added.
Just be vigilant and stay safe, and protect your wallet and your heart.
Source: Radio-Canada
