BC Securities Commission alleges woman perpetrated $3 million fraud against three B.C. investors

THE British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) is alleging that a woman defrauded B.C. investors of more than $3 million with claims of helping Chinese students and tourists.

Between 2014 and 2016, Meiyun Zhang convinced two Vancouver residents and one Richmond resident to lend her money or invest in her business. She told two of the investors that their investments would be used to help Chinese students get a visa in Canada. She told the third investor that the funds would be used to exchange foreign currency for Canadian dollars to be used by Chinese students and tourists visiting Canada.

Zhang claimed the investors would earn returns of between 6 per cent and 10 per cent without any risk, even though such returns are not possible without risk.

In addition, Zhang did not spend the investors’ money as promised. Instead, the BCSC alleges she spent the money on other things, including:

  • paying returns to investors in Canada and China
  • repaying a personal loan to a Calgary real estate agent
  • retail purchases
  • utility bills
  • paying an immigration lawyer to dispute her removal order by Canada Immigration
  • cash withdrawals, and
  • gambling at casinos.

The BCSC’s allegations against Zhang under the Securities Act have not been proven. The commission will schedule a hearing date in December 2020.  

The BCSC acknowledged the importance of information the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada provided in connection with this investigation.

CHINESE VERSION

溫哥華– 卑斯證監會(BCSC)指控一女仕以幫助中國學生及遊客為名欺詐三名卑斯省投資者超過三百萬元。

在2014年至2016年期間,張美雲说服两名温哥華居民及一名列治文居民借錢給她或投資在她的生意上。她告訴其中两名投資者他們的投資會用於幫助中國學生在加拿大取得簽證。她告訴第三名投資者款項會用於外幣對換加幣給中國學生及來加拿大的遊客使用。

張氏聲稱投資者會獲得百份之6至10没有風險的回報,雖然此等回報不可能没有風險。

張氏並且没有把投資者的錢用於承諾的用途上。卑斯證監會指控她把錢用於其他東西上,包括:

  • 支付回報給在加拿大及温哥華的投資者
  • 還私人貸款給卡加利的一名地產經紀
  • 購物
  • 水電費
  • 支付移民律師來驳回加拿大移民局對她發出的驅逐令
  • 現金提款,及
  • 在賭場賭博。

卑斯證監會根據證券法對張氏的指控還未經證實。專員小組會在2020年12月安排聆訊日期。

卑斯證監會就此感謝加拿大金融交易及報告分析中心於本調查中提供的有關的重要資料。

關於卑斯證監會(www.bcsc.bc.ca)

卑斯證監會是獨立的省政府機構,負責通過執行證券法監察卑斯省內的資本市場。我們的任務是保護和推廣公眾的利益,促進:

• 一個公平和值得公眾信賴的證券市場

• 一個能夠提供投資機會和融資的活躍和具競爭力的證券行業