A Toronto couple is facing multiple charges in connection with a cybercrime operation that defrauded more than 570 Canadians out of millions of dollars.
The suspects are accused of using technology from a website that masks their phone numbers while posing as reputable entities, including banks, government agencies, and law enforcement, to “deceive their victims and trick them out of their hard-earned savings,” Ontario RCMP said in a press release.
The RCMP said the suspects were ranked among the 50 most frequent users of iSpoof.cc, a website that enables people to display a caller ID that falsely represents them as legitimate callers. The website is used by about 38,000 subscribers from around the world, police said.
The Ontario RCMP Cybercrime Investigative Team conducted a search warrant on a Toronto home as part of its investigation. The search turned up a “trove of seized items,” including electronic devices, police said.
“Investigators will conduct analysis on these devices to uncover further evidence of these crimes, which were responsible for de-frauding at least 570 victims out of millions of dollars in Canada,” police said. “We expect the number of identified victims will increase as a result of the execution of search warrants.”
The alleged fraudsters used various tactics, including ‘phishing,’ ’spoofing,‘ and ’smishing’ schemes on victims, police said.
Phishing occurs when someone attempts to obtain sensitive information from a victim, such as personal information, credit card or banking details by alleging to be a trustworthy entity, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Smishing is similar to phishing, and uses text messages or SMS to get the victim to offer up personal information.
Another phishing tactic is spoofing, where someone appears to be contacting a victim from a credible source. It is sometimes used to create authentic looking websites that are fake and get victims to download malicious software, or give up personal information.
Charged in connection with the investigation are Chakib Mansouri, 29, and Majdouline Alouah, 31. Both face several charges, including fraud, unauthorized use of a computer, laundering the proceeds of crime, unauthorized possession of credit card data, and possessing the proceeds of crime.
Both are scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on Feb. 21, according to police.
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The investigation demonstrates the importance of Canadians learning how to recognize cyber fraud schemes, RCMP Insp. Lina Dabit said in the press release.
“The impact of this type of cybercrime has devastating impacts on our families and communities,” she said. ”I encourage all Canadians to help protect themselves by learning to be cyber safe.”
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre processed 49,432 reports in 2024, according to RCMP. Those reports came from 34,621 victims who lost a total of $638 million.
