A fraudulent scheme that saw an unoccupied home in Richmond, B.C., sold without the owner’s consent has led to more than $300,000 in discipline penalties and costs for the real estate agents and brokers involved.
According to a notice from the B.C. Financial Services Authority (BCFSA), the Pacific Evergreen Realty agents and managing brokers involved in the 2019 sale were not complicit in the scam, but “they failed to take reasonable measures at multiple points in the transaction.”
The BCFSA says at least two men were involved in the fraud. One posed as the owner of the house and used a fake driver’s licence to get a notarized power of attorney, while the second posed as the attorney to conduct the sale.
The case has also led to both a civil lawsuit and criminal charges, and court documents suggest the Chinese businesswoman who owned the property is still fighting to