The Ottawa Police Service has launched a public appeal for assistance in identifying four individuals connected to a sophisticated 'bank investigator' scam operation targeting residents in the city's central and west ends.
Suspects Sought in Multi-Month Fraud Scheme
Authorities released photographic evidence on Friday showing three men and one woman believed to be involved in what police describe as 'similar but not necessarily related' fraudulent activities. These incidents are believed to have occurred between April and September 2025.
The first suspect is described as an Eastern African woman in her early 20s who was wearing a headdress during the incidents. The second and third suspects are both East Indian men in their mid-20s with slim builds and moustaches. The fourth suspect is identified as a Black man in his early 20s who was unshaven and wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
How the Elaborate Scam Operated
According to police investigators, the suspects conducted their scheme through carefully orchestrated phone calls. The fraudsters would contact potential victims while posing as representatives from financial institutions.
The scammers would falsely claim that they had detected suspicious activity in the victim's bank accounts. They would then instruct the targets to cut up their debit and credit cards and place the pieces in an envelope for collection by a courier at their residence.
Victims were kept on the phone throughout the entire process, remaining in communication with the scammers until the courier arrived to collect the destroyed payment cards. Only later would the targets discover unauthorized changes and transactions in their financial accounts.
Recent Arrests in Related Cases
This public appeal comes just one day after Ottawa police announced significant progress in combating similar fraudulent operations. Two men have already been charged with multiple fraud-related offenses connected to comparable bank investigator scams.
Police revealed that the earlier arrests involved schemes that defrauded victims of approximately $250,000 in total, highlighting the substantial financial impact of these coordinated fraud operations on Ottawa residents.
Anyone who recognizes any of the individuals in the released photographs is urged to contact Detective Wahbeh of the Financial Crimes Section at 613-236-1222 extension 5492. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppers.ca.
