A Toronto-based realtor with the same name as a high-profile criminal has been patiently attempting to assure social media denizens that he is not the notorious miscreant.
The Calgary Herald reports Zain Merchant has been receiving a flood of social media messages from people who confused him with another Zain Merchant who was recently arrested in Calgary in a “catch-a-predator” case that received national attention.
“I started getting random Instagram requests, and I’m in real estate so that’s not new to me, but people were reaching out and they were referencing the article,” said Merchant. “So, I looked at the article, and it was so troubling to hear what went down in Airdrie and Calgary, and I pray that those impacted families get justice.”
Merchant added that his employer has also been receiving phone calls from people wondering why they have a criminal on their payroll.
“My brokerage, Urban-realty, they’re a great place, but they kept getting calls saying, ‘Oh, you’re employing Zain Merchant,’ and they’re telling them this is not the same person, he doesn’t even reside in Calgary, he’s in Toronto,” Merchant said.
Merchant observed that despite having the same name as the criminal, he is younger and bears no resemblance to the man. He theorized that Google searches for ‘Zain Merchant’ pointed to him because of his realtor pages. Ultimately, Merchant said he was not upset over the attention, stating it was a misunderstanding that is easily addressed while praising people who came to his defense online.
“I visited Calgary once in my life, and I hope to be able to do that again freely,” he said. “It’s crazy, there’s eight billion people in the world, you’re bound to have someone with the same name. I am simply a realtor that likes to help families transition into their new homes.”
Photo courtesy of Zain Merchant (the good guy, not the criminal with the same name)
