Rental Fraud Scheme Leads to Arrests in Southern Alberta

Dayne Keith Hoknes, 41, has been charged by police following an investigation into a series of alleged rental frauds and a residential break-in in Canmore. Hoknes faces charges of break and enter, resisting arrest, and failing to comply with release conditions.
During his arrest, Hoknes was found to have nine outstanding warrants from incidents reported in Canmore, Banff, and Chestermere. Further inquiries linked him to several cases of rental fraud primarily investigated in Canmore. According to RCMP, victims were deceived into sending damage deposits to Hoknes, who would then sever communication or lead them to occupied properties not owned by him.
“The victim would send the damage deposit to the suspect, and once he had the money, he would either cut off communication with them or when the victim arrived at the address they believed they had rented, it would be occupied and not owned by the suspect,” detailed an RCMP news release issued Friday.
Following these findings, Hoknes now faces additional legal challenges with nine counts of fraud under $5,000 charged against him related to the rental fraud investigations.
Hoknes is scheduled to appear in court on April 24. The case continues to develop as local authorities delve deeper into the extent of the alleged fraud activities across southern Alberta.