Hundreds of people across Canada, including several dozen in Edmonton, have lost more than a million dollars combined to a complex Amazon job scam with ties to international organized crime and human trafficking.
Investigators with the Edmonton Police Service electronic response team began investigating in 2022 after police received several complaints from people who fell victim to a task-based employment scam that involved accessing a fraudulent internet platform.
Scammers contacted victims on social media about a “job and investment opportunity” they could do from home.
Positioned as completing Amazon orders, police said the fake position required victims to log into an internet platform called “Sharegain” to invest money based on the size of the order and process 20 to 40 tasks per day to earn guaranteed investment returns.
Referred to as an “order-grabbing job,” police said the victims would access fake Amazon orders and purportedly process them for reviews and shipment.
Each order earned a commission percentage, depending on the victim’s investment level, with larger orders requiring greater investment but yielding higher returns.
Like a Ponzi scheme, funds from one victim were sent to another, and like a pyramid scheme, the scam encouraged victims to recruit others to generate greater investment returns.
Victims would invest their money, get an initial withdrawal to confirm the platform was legitimate, and then make more investments.
The funds received in the initial withdrawal were sent from another victim, thinking they were investing in the platform.
Scammers also encouraged some victims to allow access to their accounts in return for higher investment returns.
To date, Edmonton police have confirmed losses of more than $84,000 among more than 30 people in the area, but police believe there may be more victims who have not come forward.
Police said the scammers often targeted newcomers and impersonated law enforcement and Canada Revenue Agency employees to instill fear.
Many of the complainants maintained silence due to threats of deportation or charges, police said.
“The scam is sophisticated as it uses Amazon’s name recognition to manipulate victims into a complex pyramid scheme that initially yields investments — which builds trust and credibility — but results in greater losses,” said Const. Brian Mason with the police electronic response team.
“If anyone is randomly recruited for a job or investment that guarantees quick results and high payouts in a short period of time, it is likely a scam.
“If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.”
Police said the scam is international in scope and that the investigation involved agencies across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, including Canada Border Services Agency, Nanaimo and Langley RCMP, Homeland Security and the FBI in the U.S.
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The Sharegain platform operated from August 2021 through May 2022 and is believed to have impacted more than 600 people across Canada, resulting in more than $1.2 million in losses.
An organized crime group from China orchestrated the scam in Canada and operated out of British Columbia, police said.
Data collected showed historical links to funds believed to be associated with human trafficking, both in finances and shell companies in the United Kingdom and China, police said.
“Scammers that attempt to impersonate Amazon put consumers at risk,” said Jamie Wendell, senior corporate counsel at Amazon.
Amazon said victims of this scam, or anyone who receives other suspicious communications that claim to be from the online retailer can report it at, amazon.ca/reportascam.
“Amazon will investigate and help hold bad actors accountable.”
Charges of fraud over $5,000 have been laid against three people in Edmonton: Chen Chen, 36, Jiameng Wang, 29, and Dalraj Gill, 35.
Edmonton police are encouraging anyone who has bee affected by the scam to come forward by calling 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone.
— More to come…