A 31-year-old Hamilton man is facing charges in connection with a babysitter recruiting scam targeting victims across Canada, Toronto police say.
According to investigators, between October 2024 and August 2025, a man posing as a babysitter named “Ashley Turnbull” was hired for a number of babysitting jobs. They did not disclose how many jobs he was hired for.
Police allege the man would send cheques to the victims and ask them to deposit the funds into their accounts. He would then request that they transfer the money from the cheque back to the accused, so the funds could be used for supplies and material needed to babysit.
“When the cheques were deposited into the victims’ accounts and transferred, often days later, they learned the cheques were fraudulent,” police said in a news release issued Wednesday.
The money was never recovered, police said.
“After an extensive investigation by the 32 Division Fraud Unit, investigators learned that there were more victims across Canada,” the news release continued.
Police say the subsequently identified man as Kim Manget, a 31-year-old resident of Hamilton. He was arrested on Aug. 8, police said, and faces more than 20 charges, including seven counts of fraud under $5,000.
He is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto on Oct. 1, 2025.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.