ALERT BAY – British Columbia police say they have foiled a fraud scheme targeting Indigenous people on northern Vancouver Island that resulted in more than $400,000 being diverted to a fake bank account.
Alert Bay RCMP say the case was first reported by Namgis First Nation on May 13, when $406,000 intended for contractors to build a new health and wellness center was diverted via a fraudulent email to a fake account.
Police say coordination with authorities in eastern Canada has led to the freezing of a bank account believed to be controlled by an organized crime group.
Alert Bay officers then led the execution of a search warrant at a home in Aurora, Ontario, where they discovered suspicious counterfeit currency, counterfeit documents, electronic devices and other items associated with organized financial crime networks.
Police would not reveal how much of the First Nation's funds were saved through the bank account freeze, only saying it was “significant.”
They say the recovered money can now be returned to the country through legal processes and the investigation into the case remains active.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2025.
