OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, December 19, 2019 9:48am
(Ottawa) —The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit arrested and charged a male following a complaint of fraud allegations.
In June 2019, an investigation began following complaints that an Ottawa-based Day Care, which is a non-profit charitable organization, had been defrauded of over $200,000.
The suspect, a former employee, in their role as the Financial Coordinator with the day care, had access to the company payroll, company cheques, and the company credit card. The suspect made unauthorized payments and transactions for personal gain between 2010-2016.
The Day Care was cooperative and assisted with the police investigation.
On December 5th, the Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit has charged Vasilios (Bill) POLYMENAKOS, 50 years old, of Gatineau with Fraud exceeding $5000
POLYMENAKOS is scheduled to appear in court on January 9th, 2020.
As shoppers gear up for the holiday season, police say fraudsters are also preparing to take advantage of those who aren't careful.
The holidays are ripe for fraudulent activity, with various types of scams appearing around this time of year, according to Jeff Thomson, a senior intelligence analyst with the RCMP's fraud unit.
Here are some of the most common scams Thomson said people should watch out for.
SIM swapping
Thomson said the RCMP has seen a recent spike in identity theft through what's known as SIM swapping.
Fraudsters will send a phishing email, which appears to be from your service provider, offering you free data or something similar — and a link for you to claim your "prize."
The link asks for personal information to update your cellular account profile. Fraudsters will then contact your service provider and, using that information, gain access to your phone.
"If you have your bank accounts, your social media accounts, email accounts — they can now start to gain access to the accounts you have on your mobile device," Thomson said.
If you receive an email from your service provider with an offer, Thomson recommends calling them to verify it's real.
Thomson said the RCMP are seeing a spike in these kinds of scams, but instead of the CRA, the fraudsters claim to be from Service Canada.
"The Service Canada scam I'm seeing as the evolution of the CRA scam," Thomson said.
Fraudsters tell victims their social insurance number (SIN) is compromised and then attempt a two-part scam.
First, they'll attempt to coax your name, date of birth, SIN and other personal information from you.
Then they'll say police or investigators need to follow up, which later turns into a demand for cash. Thomson said that usually takes the form of fraudsters telling victims to move money into a "safe account."
Like with the CRA scam, Thomson said Canadian agencies wouldn't call and ask for personal information.
Online shopping scams
As more and more shoppers turn to the internet to find that perfect holiday gift, fraudsters are taking notice.
Thomson said one scam comes in the form of an unbelievable offer for a wish-list item — but often it's counterfeit or of an inferior quality.
To avoid being duped, Thomson recommends only shopping at well-known websites, reading reviews on lesser-known ones first, and using payment programs that have credit card protection.
"If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is," he said.
Loan scams
This scam typically preys on victims looking for extra cash during the holidays.
Fraudsters offer loans, Thomson said, and then either take personal information or begin to demand payments.
Thomson advises people to be cautious and only seek loans from credible providers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, December 5, 2019 1:30pm
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Fraud Unit is advising the community of recent scams involving “SIM card swapping.” This is a scam that is affecting consumers all over North America.
What is it?
A fraudster, armed with personal information about a targeted victim, will call the victim’s cell phone provider. They will have enough information about the victim to convince the cell phone provider that they are the targeted victim. They will then ask to cancel the victim’s cell phone account and have the number transferred to another cell phone provider (this is a process called porting).
They will then set up an account with the new service provider and be able to use the victim’s cell phone number with that new provider. As many online apps and accounts use a text message to re-set passwords, the fraudster will then attempt to re-set the victim’s password on their email, bank accounts, store accounts, rewards accounts and social media accounts. They will then proceed to access whatever funds and goods are available. This will generally happen very quickly.
How to protect yourself:
Speak to your cell phone service provider about extra security measures you can put on your cell phone account
Don’t respond to “phishing” emails that ask you personal information or ask for passwords to your accounts
Avoid posting personal information on line such as your SIN, date of birth, address, family tree information, pet’s name, etc.
Don’t use the same password for every online account you have
If you lose cell phone service, call your service provider and your bank immediately
The Canadian Bankers Association has an excellent article aboutSIM swapping.
For more information on this and other frauds, please follow @FraudOttawa on twitter or visit ourwebsite for more tips.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, November 25, 2019 11:05am
(Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit has charged an individual after a renovation / construction scam was reported to them.
Between November 2018 and June 2019 Linfra Developments Inc. fraudulently obtained funds in relation to renovation projects at various locations across the City of Ottawa. Funds were supposed to be used to pay for sub-contractors and materials at the project sites. However, this was not the case, as they were redirected for personal use. Over $250,000 was obtained.
Frank BARAKI, 34 years old, of Ottawa has been charged with 8 counts of Fraud exceeding $5000 and 1 count of obtain by false pretence exceeding $5000. BARAKI is scheduled to appear in court today, November 25, 2019.
The Ottawa Police is looking for assistance with possibly identifying additional victims of fraud in relation to Linfra Developments Inc. for the time frame of November 2018 to June 2019. If you have information that could assist the Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit please call 613-236-1222 ext. 7300 to make a report.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or crimestoppers.ca.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 27, 2019 11:00am
(Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit is warning the community about a recent fraud trend targeting young people.
The suspects approach young people and convince them to loan out their bank card and PIN. They are offered financial compensation in return for the loaning of their card. The suspects will then deposit the proceeds from another fraud into the young person’s bank account and immediately withdraw the money.
Banks will normally determine that the deposit is a fraud and the card holder will be responsible for the money that was withdrawn.
Card holders are recruited through acquaintances or through social media sites. The target audience for this scam is high school students with bank accounts. Peer pressure is used to recruit them as well as the promise of easy money.
Parents are encouraged to discuss this scam with their children and emphasize the fact that:
You are responsible for everything that goes on in your bank account;
Do not give out your bank card or PIN to anybody;
There is no way to get “free” money.
If you believe you or your child is currently in the middle of a similar scam, contact your bank and have your account frozen immediately.
For more information on this and other frauds, please follow @FraudOttawa.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, November 21, 2019 10:00am
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit has charged an Ottawa woman with Fraud Over $5000 (x1) and Uttering a Forged Document (x1).
The woman defrauded her employer while working in the financial offices within the hospitality industry. She did not drop off cashier deposits, took commission cheques, did not report them and uttered a forged cheque.
The events are believed to have occurred over a 4-year period, starting in 2013. The amount defrauded is estimated at about $250,000.
Nicole HUMBY, 39 years old, was arrested on October 28, 2019 and was released with a Promise to Appear in court on November 26, 2019.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, November 15, 2019 1:46pm
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit has charged Chantal COUTURE, 45 years old of Ottawa following an investigation into a complaint of a historical employee-related fraud.
It was alleged that while working in the financial section of a local convenience store, she cashed over 50 cheques made in her name and the cheques had a forged signature. The events are believed to have occurred over a period of two years, and began in 2017. The alleged fraud was evaluated at about $30,000.
COUTURE was arrested on October 23, 2019 and charged with one count of Fraud over and one count of Uttering forged document.
She was released on a Promise to Appear on November 18, 2019.
