Canadian Police Seeks Public Help with Multiple Bitcoin Frauds: 4 Suspects Wanted

True, cyber attacks, especially through cryptocurrencies are common in just about any country; however, if there was a record keeper, this has got to be one of the worst hits so far. Canadians have had their fair share of crypto frauds – if not slightly above fair. In 2018 alone, they recorded several crypto frauds including those perpetrated through sim swapping.

And just when we thought we have heard the last of such crimes, the Calgary Police Service posted a news release urging the public to help with the investigation of what you can call a ‘mass crypto fraud’ in which four individuals (so far; the investigation is still ongoing) are allegedly responsible for committing 112 fraudulent attacks within the space of 10 days. Talk about absurd!

The release stated that the Cybercrime Team of the Calgary Police Service received alarming reports of several fraudulent transactions involving Bitcoin in October 2018. The attacks, which seem to have occurred from different parts of the country, were chiefly targeted at a Bitcoin company in Canada. This made the team believe that the attacks were perpetrated by a group of cyber criminals working together.

In a space of 10 days (between September 16 and September 26, 2018) the team recorded a total of 112 fraudulent transactions made across seven cities in the country. Of the 112 fraudulent transactions, investigation showed that 51 occurred in Calgary, 27 in Montreal, 17 in Toronto, 13 in Winnipeg, 2 in Sherwood, 1 in Hamilton, and another 1 in Ottawa. So far, $195,000 loss has been recorded from these transactions.

At the time of compiling this article, the four suspects who are allegedly responsible for these fraudulent transactions have been identified but yet to be apprehended. The Calgary Police Service pleads with the public to supply any information relevant to the apprehension of these men.

The first suspect on their radar is believed to be the brain behind the attacks in Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto; the second suspect is reportedly responsible for the 51 fraudulent transactions in Calgary; and suspects #3 and #4 allegedly responsible for the attacks in Winnipeg and Sherwood Park respectively.

Anyone with useful information can contact the Calgary Police Service non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or anonymously tip Crime Stoppers through calls on 1-800-222-8477, calgarycrimestoppers.org, Facebook, or 222tips.com (case number 18453695 / 5075).