A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Saskatoon man facing 22 charges in connection to allegations he was selling vehicles illegally.

Rodney Evason is alleged to have been operating as a vehicle dealer without a licence, the the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan said in a news release.

The FCAA said it received information last year that Evason may have been operating as a “curber” and engaging in unlicensed motor vehicle sales activity, also known as curbing or curbsiding.

Curbers often pose as private sellers on online platforms, making their illegal activities difficult to detect and regulate, which tends to undermine the motor vehicle regulatory framework, the agency said.

On at least two separate occasions, the Consumer Protection Division of the FCAA demanded that Evason cease and desist any unlicensed sales activities, the agency said.

Anyone with information regarding Evason's whereabouts is asked to contact Saskatoon police.

Denny Huyghebaert, deputy director of the FCAA Consumer Protection Division, has some tips on how to avoid being taken advantage of:

  • Avoid meeting in a neutral location such as a coffee shop or mall parking lot. Curbers do this to avoid their giving away their home location.
  • Double-check that the registration matches the identification of the person that is selling the vehicle.
  • If the price is seems too good to be true it probably is, so check sources such as the Canadian black book, Carfax and SGI search tool.
  • Do an SGI Vehicle Insurance Number Search which will reveal the status of the vehicle (e.g. normal, rebuilt, stolen, total loss, unsafe or unrepairable)
  • If you see multiple listings with the same phone number under different names, you may be dealing with a curber.