Edmonton police team up with ‘ethical hackers’ to prevent $42M in fraud
Posted May 21, 2026 9:49 am.
Edmonton police say they partnered up with “ethical hackers” to prevent more than $42 million in losses to scammers.
The Edmonton Police Service says the partnership with the so-called “scam baiters” began last July. The hackers intercepted victim information during in-progress scams and shared it with police.
EPS and partners in the U.S. – the United States Secret Service and the Collin County Texas Sherriff’s Office – worked together to identify victims, contact them, and disrupt fund transfers by asking banks to freeze accounts before money was withdrawn.
“Contacting victims was often difficult because the information received was fragmented and incomplete,” said EPS Cst. Brian Mason. “Once contacted, convincing them they are being scammed wasn’t always easy and often involved the support of local police agencies and sometimes family members.”
In some cases, police say the scammers watched and listened as victims spoke to police, and “actively worked to convince them the police were the actual scammers.”
The fraudsters allegedly used a variety of scams, including pretending victims were owed a refund or impersonating government agencies. They would then request funds via wire transfer, mailed cheque, product shipment, cash/gold for courier pick up or cryptocurrency.
“These scammers used manipulation, fear and urgency to coerce complainants into sending their life savings to a network of money mules and couriers, many of whom are part of vast networks that fund terrorist activities such as human, weapons and drug trafficking,” said Mason.
“Scammers relentlessly target victims across borders, making their crimes a truly global threat,” added Peter Murphy, the resident agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Vancouver resident office.
In total, Edmonton police say more than 50 law enforcement agencies – in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. – were contacted. Police claim they were able to stop 300 people from losing money.
The largest single loss was $4 million from a victim in the U.S., police say.
