CALGARY -- A Calgary man faces charges after allegedly collecting personal data through fake job postings and using the information to fraudulently prepare hundreds of personal tax returns.

According to the Canadian Revenue Agency, an attempt was made to have more than $760,000 deposited in bank accounts controlled by Chun 'Ted' Zhu after the Calgarian allegedly prepared and filed 317 personal tax returns in 2019.

The CRA alleges Zhu posted fake job ads in March 2018 and collected the information of applicants. The stolen data was allegedly used in February of the following year to prepare fraudulent tax returns in an attempt to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds.

Zhu faces criminal charges that include:

  • Claiming a refund to which he or any other person is not entitled
  • Fraud over $5,000 (two counts)
  • Obtaining and using another's identity to commit an indicatable offence (two counts)