Cases of auto theft down across Canada in first half of 2025, report shows
A new report has found auto theft trends are down 19 per cent across Canada in the first half of this year, compared to the same time period in 2024.
But the authors of the report say that vigilance is still needed to keep numbers coming down.
It's an "optimistic trend" seen in provinces across the country, says the report by Équité Association, an organization that works to stop crime on behalf of the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry,
The largest drops were seen in Ontario at 25.9 per cent and Quebec at 22 per cent, said the report.
These provinces experienced the highest rate of theft from 2021 to 2023, when Équité said Canada was facing a "national crisis" in car theft.
"This encouraging trend in decreasing auto theft in the most affected provinces demonstrates the success of collective investments, policies and awareness campaigns," the report says.
While the drop in auto theft is encouraging, Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services at Équité Association, said it's still important for vehicle owners to stay alert and for different levels of government to continue collaborations against auto theft.
"This is not a victimless crime. It's not just a property crime. The proceeds of these stolen vehicles are funding organized crime and it is affecting the communities in which we live," he said.
The report also found that the national rate of recovery for stolen vehicles increased to 56 per cent in the first half of this year, up from 53 per cent for the same time period in 2024.
Gast says auto theft in Canada began to spike during the COVID-19 pandemic when a supply chain issue with cars gave organized crime an opportunity to make money.
The majority of the cars that are stolen are personal passenger vehicles, such as pickup trucks, sedans and SUVs, he says.
He credits the drop in theft and the increase in recoveries to collaboration across different levels of government and with agencies in other provinces.
That work included the creation of Ontario's auto theft team to identify crime hotspots, provincial Ministries of Transportation working to close gaps in vehicle registration processes and over $200 million in federal funding, said the report.
"I've never seen this collaboration, even in my 30 years of policing, work together. This is very large scale [with] multiple police services," Gast said. "Phenomenal results and I think it's really showing."
He also said there's been an increased emphasis to crack down on international organized crime related to auto theft in Canada.
Information on any car that is stolen in Canada is sent to the Canadian Police Information Centre, which then shares that information with Interpol, Gast said.
"What used to go under the radar once it goes international, now it shows it's stolen. And it affects the criminal's supply and demand," he said.
WATCH | A 2024 report looks at what cars are targetted by auto theft criminals:
Fighting auto theft in Canada will take more work, report finds
8 months ago
Data shows drops in auto theft across the GTA
Stephanie Sayer with Toronto Police Services says the city has seen a 34 per cent drop in auto theft cases so far this year, compared to the same period in 2024.
"That's the result of sustained, focused efforts both within our Service and in collaboration with our policing partners across the GTA," she said.
A news release from the York Regional Police said that as of June 25, they've also seen a 37 per cent decline in auto thefts so far this year compared to the same period last year.
Gast says it's important for officials and car owners to be aware of the new technologies criminals could use to steal a car.
He recommends people with cars always report suspicious activity, park in a garage space if possible and to always keep windows and doors locked.
Drivers can also use a steering wheel lock, a pedal lock, a tracking device or an aftermarket immobilizer to protect from reprogramming attacks, Gast said.
"You don't have to do them all. You don't have to build your vehicle into Fort Knox. But if you could do a few layers, just to make it add more time for the criminal to steal your vehicle," he said.
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Junki "Jay" Lee is seen in this profile photo from his Facebook page. ( Victims of a prolific alleged scammer based in Vancouver are connecting with each other online in hopes of making it harder for him to defraud others in the future. Over the last month, CTV News has been contacted by half a dozen people who say they have lost money to a man named Junki Lee, who typically goes by the name 'Jay.' CTV News has also seen social media posts from several others alleging that Lee had taken money from them through dishonest or fraudulent means, and has confirmed that the man in question has multiple past convictions for theft and fraud. 'He was super persistent' The most common complaint centres around Lee's listings on Facebook Marketplace. Multiple victims described having one or more small transactions with him go smoothly, only for Lee to demand pre-payment for a larger purchase, then fail to deliver the goods. Braden Ma first bought a pair of headphones from Lee in December 2023, and was pleased with the interaction, describing Lee as 'very friendly and professional.' Unusually, however, Lee kept corresponding with Ma after the transaction was complete. Even after Ma left him a rating, Lee continued to follow up, asking if Ma was satisfied with his purchase and if there was anything else he needed. 'He was super persistent and, initially, really quick to answer messages,' Ma said. 'He would answer almost immediately.' A messenger conversation Ma shared with CTV News shows Lee followed up multiple times in January 2024, then again in March of that year, when he restarted the chat with two messages: 'Hey Braden' and 'How are you?' Ma said he had thought about ignoring or blocking Lee because he didn't think he was in the market for anything else. But, he said, he didn't find Lee's messages suspicious. 'It seemed like, 'Oh, this is how he makes money,'' Ma said. 'He seemed like he's a sales person, just trying to, you know, get people, see if there's anything else they want.' Ma ended up re-engaging in the March conversation and asking Lee if he sold phones. The pair discussed options and eventually negotiated a deal for Ma to buy a Google Pixel 8 for $650. Lee described the transaction as a 'pre-order,' and said Ma would have to pay up front by e-transfer. Ma sent payment on March 20, and Lee told him it would take about two weeks for the phone to arrive. The pair continued conversing via WhatsApp, and chat logs show Ma attempting to schedule a meeting in early April to pick up the device. In his messages, Lee makes a variety of excuses, first claiming that he has been sick, then that he's been out of town, then that he has received the device, but it's the wrong colour. His messages become more sporadic, often asking Ma to set up a meeting, then failing to respond when Ma proposes a time and place. By late April, Lee's messages cease almost entirely, only to pick up again with a flurry of correspondence – but no phone or refund – in late May. Ma described the interaction as 'bizarre,' but said he continued to hold out hope that Lee would come through. 'I kind of just thought, 'Well, if this is a scam, surely I'd be blocked by now,'' Ma said. He did eventually get blocked, but not before he noticed a scathing review on Lee's Marketplace seller profile, which had been posted by one of the same people whose reviews Lee had previously shared with him as a testimonial. Ma said he contacted that person and found she had a similar story to his. From there, he was able to join a messaging group set up by some of Lee's other alleged victims. 'This is kind of a lot' One of the other people in the group is Dina Dimora, who met Lee on the dating app Hinge in September 2022 and says she ended up losing $4,000 to him. At the time, according to Dimora, Lee's profile mentioned he and his friends were looking for someone to join them on a trip to Mexico. Initially, she didn't take the offer seriously, but after they started messaging each other, things escalated quickly. Lee was up front about the fact that he had a girlfriend and wasn't looking for a romantic or sexual relationship, Dimora said, but he started calling and texting her daily, asking her about her life and her friends and inviting her to socialize with him and his friends. Dimora told CTV News she had some concerns about how 'pushy' Lee was being as he tried to convince her to go on the Mexico trip. At the same time, though, she felt like he seemed 'genuine,' and she said she got 'good vibes' from his friends as well. 'At the time, I was like, 'This is kind of a lot,' but obviously it worked because he ended up convincing me just by, like, asking me enough times,' Dimora said. She went on the Mexico trip and had a lot of fun. Junki "Jay" Lee in Mexico Junki "Jay" Lee is seen in this photo from the Mexico trip. (Dina Dimora) After the group got back to Vancouver, Lee continued calling and messaging regularly. He also started involving Dimora in online sports betting. He told her his Bet365 account had been banned, and asked her to make one and give him the login info. The pitch, according to Dimora, was that she would put money in the account for him to bet with, then he would split the winnings with her. While she never ended up making any money from the arrangement, she said she always got paid back. The payments never came from Lee directly, she said. Instead, they would come in the form of e-transfers from 'random' people she had never met. By this point, though she admits she saw some red flags in Lee's behaviour, Dimora trusted him. The Mexico trip had gone well, and he seemed to always pay her back, even if the manner in which it happened was strange. He also lived in a penthouse apartment, went out for 'fancy' dinners and wore designer clothes, so it didn't seem like he had any money problems, Dimora said. So, when Lee started talking about making money through online poker using the same arrangement the pair had set up for sports betting, Dimora figured she'd at least get her money back, and had the potential to earn a lot more. This time, she funded her account with $3,000. She would put up another $3,000 a short time later, after Lee told her he was worried she wouldn't be able to afford the Mexico group's next trip abroad – this time to Bali. Dimora said she could make the trip work, financially, but Lee insisted she give him the money, which he would use to gamble and win enough to pay for her share of the trip, to ensure she wouldn't back out at the last minute. Around this time, a friend of Dimora's told her Lee was a scammer and that she shouldn't give him any money. 'Obviously, at that point, my whole heart kind of sunk, because I was like, 'Well, it's too late. I already did,'' Dimora said. She started researching Lee and ended up connecting with the victims' messaging group. She also said she got $2,000 back from him – again sent via e-transfer by someone she didn't know – but he stopped communicating with her after that, leaving her down $4,000 total. The trip to Bali never materialized. Other victims' narratives Other members of the victims' messaging group shared their experiences in emails to CTV News, but did not respond to requests for follow-up interviews. Their narratives share some notable overlap with those of Ma and Dimora. One victim shared his WhatsApp chat log with Lee, showing more than 4,000 messages exchanged in a six-month period. At the start of the conversation, Lee messages almost daily, often inquiring about the victim's personal life and sharing details about his own. In the messages, Lee claims to have played poker 'somewhat full time' and been banned from casinos across Canada and in 'parts of Las Vegas.' He also claims to have won more than $1 million in B.C. and Alberta in a four-month span in 2019, before being banned. The B.C. Lottery Corporation told CTV News it cannot confirm casino gaming history for specific individuals, but said it does not ban people for being 'too good' or winning too much. Gamblers can be banned from casinos for association with gangs or organized crime, public safety risk, history of or suspected possession of proceeds of crime and other 'undesirable behaviour.' BCLC said more than 500 people were banned during its most recent fiscal year, which ended March 31. Lee's messages in the WhatsApp chat log become considerably less frequent once the victim has agreed to sell some espresso machines on Lee's behalf and sent payment for them. The victim said he is still owed approximately $3,100, and got connected with the victims' group after posting warnings about Lee on Facebook. Another victim shared a loan agreement signed by Lee, in which the alleged scammer puts up one of two Porsches as collateral in exchange for $23,800, to be paid back with $3,000 of interest less than two months later. The victim told CTV News his brother had previously bought $2,000 worth of tires from Lee and found him to be trustworthy. The supposed reason Lee needed the loan was to help a friend whose dog needed emergency surgery, according to the victim. Lee claimed that his own money was tied up in South Korea and it would take too long for the international wire transfer to come through. The loan was never repaid, and the victim said when he looked up the VINs of the two Porsches referenced in the loan agreement, he found they were 'riddled with payday loan liens' and useless as collateral. After learning more about Lee online, the victim confronted him, only to be 'gaslit and ghosted,' he said. 'People are still getting scammed' CTV News reached out to Lee through one of his Facebook listings to give him a chance to respond to the allegations against him. 'If you're who you say you are, then please feel free to email me,' the seller responded. 'I'm sure that you're resourceful enough to find it.' CTV News has emailed three addresses associated with Lee and called four phone numbers he has used in the past, but has not received any further correspondence from him. He has blocked the Facebook account initially used to contact him, but he continues to have active listings on Marketplace, and is labelled as 'highly rated' by the platform. Victims who spoke to CTV News expressed frustration with what they see as a prolific scammer who has so far been able to avoid legal consequences for his actions – though court records show he has been convicted of various offences over the years. Ma contacted the Vancouver Police Department to report his case, and said the officer he spoke to told him Lee is 'well-known' to police. Despite this, however, Ma said he never received any follow-up from the VPD about his case. His understanding is that because victims in his situation willingly sent e-transfers to Lee in exchange for goods that weren't delivered, there's not enough evidence to support a criminal charge against him. At most, the failed transaction could be resolved through a civil lawsuit. 'There's really nothing that police can do, and I think Jay also knows this,' Ma said. 'He's been doing it long enough that he knows what the limitations are and what he can actually get away with.' Asked to comment on the police file number Ma shared with CTV News, the VPD said the incident occurred in December 2023 but was not reported to police until October 2024. 'The complainant e-transferred money to an unknown person, who didn't deliver a product and then stopped responding,' VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said in an email. 'The investigation did not result in an arrest or charges.' Addison did not say whether the VPD has any other open investigations involving Lee. Police 'cannot share specific information about people who are subject of investigations that have not resulted in criminal charges,' he said. 'Facebook Marketplace scams, and other online scams, are prolific,' Addison added. 'We strongly caution against transferring money online to someone you don't know, especially if you have not yet received the product you are purchasing.' Both Ma and Dimora expressed relief that their losses were not as severe as those of some other victims in the messaging group, as well as frustration that Lee has not faced the justice they believe he deserves. 'Jay, as far as I know, has never had a job in his life,' Dimora said. 'He basically is just, like, a career scammer. This has just always been what he does … I just hope that he can have some consequences for his actions.' 'At this point, everyone's just kind of stuck, and people are still getting scammed,' said Ma. Court records Searching 'Junki Lee' in B.C.'s online court records system brings up eight civil cases involving a person by that name. Four of them are in provincial small claims court, and all but one of them lists Junki Lee as the defendant. The most recent case was filed April 24 of this year in B.C. Supreme Court and concerns an application to enforce a Residential Tenancy Branch order directing Lee to vacate an apartment on Seymour Street by 1 p.m. on March 31. The address of the Seymour Street apartment is the same as one Lee provided to the victim who shared his WhatsApp chat log with CTV News. There has been no activity on the court file since the date it was opened. Searching for criminal records regarding 'Junki Lee' brings up 10 distinct files, all involving an accused born in 1991. CTV News has confirmed the man in the court records is the same one who is the subject of the victims' messaging group. Three of the files pertain to violation tickets for speeding, five involve charges of theft under $5,000, four involve charges of breaching probation, one involves a charge of breaching an undertaking, and one includes three counts of fraud under $5,000. The most recent file was heard in North Vancouver provincial court earlier this year. On Jan. 22, Lee pleaded guilty to a charge of theft under $5,000. The underlying offence occurred in West Vancouver in September 2023. Asked for details about the case, the West Vancouver Police Department told CTV News in an email that the file 'related to the theft of clothing and personal items from a major retailer at Park Royal Mall.' Lee was sentenced to a $500 fine and one year of probation. Since the guilty plea and sentencing, two additional charges of breach of probation have been added to the file. Charging documents provided by the court registry show Lee is accused of failing 'to report as directed' on April 25 and 'failing to complete 15 hours of community work service' as directed by July 22. Lee's next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 20 in North Vancouver provincial court.
