Ottawa police fraud squad detectives have arrested two people who posed as “bank fraud inspectors” in a series of recent incidents,
Detectives said the scammers would call from fake phone numbers or call display titles, purporting to work for financial institutions.
Once the victims were convinced, the scammers tricked them into believing their bank accounts had been compromised and obtained the victims’ PINs or passwords.
The victims were told to leave their cards out for a “courier” to retrieve.
Equipped with the ID data, the fraudsters would drain the accounts of or make as many purchases as possible before the victims caught on and cancelled the cards.
In a release, Ottawa Police Services said two Ottawa suspects, one 24 and the other 19, were charged with:
- Fraud Exceeding $5,000
- Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence
- Use/Possess Credit Card Obtained by Offence
- Possess Property or Thing Obtained by Crime Exceeding $5,000
- Fraud less than $5,000
Police believe there may be more victims. If you believe you are a victim or know of someone who may be a victim, contact Det. McDonald, at 613-236-1222, ext. 5292 or by email at
.
Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a report online at
crimestoppers.ca
.
