Victims defrauded out of $400,000 in bank investigator scam

Ottawa police released photos of two people they believe are involved in a “bank investigator” scam in the city.

Officers said that they have noted a series of “sophisticated” frauds involving suspects posing as bank fraud investigators from financial institutions. They use a spoofed caller ID and claim that the victim’s accounts have been compromised. Once trust is established with the victim, they hand over PINs and passwords and other sensitive banking information.

The fraudsters will then ask the victim to leave their bank card in a designated area for a “courier” to collect. Then the scammers rapidly withdraw funds or make large purchases.

To date, police say the scam has defrauded victims of approximately $400,000.

There are two suspects police are looking for, who they believe are connected to multiple incidents amounting to $250,000 stolen.

• Suspect 1: Black man, slim build, brown eyes, appears to be in his early 20s
• Suspect 2: Black man, slim build, black braids, brown eyes, also appears to be in his early 20s

Any information that could assist in identifying the individuals involved, people can contact Detective Wahbeh of the Organized Fraud Unit at 613-236-1222 ext. 5492.

Two men already charged

In May, police laid charges against two people in a fraud case that saw the accused pose as bank investigators.

A 24-year-old and a 19-year-old, both from Ottawa, are facing offences such as:

• 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 not exceeding $5,000

Ottawa police say they believe there could be more victims and are asking people to step forward.