Toronto police have uncovered an alleged fraud scheme involving “suspicious transactions” at Ontario casinos. After a deep investigation that began in the fall of 2023, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detailed charges against a 42-year-old Canadian man.
The OPP was tight-lipped on many of the details as the case is now being considered in the court system. Police did say that there were “suspicious transactions that occurred at multiple casinos in Ontario as part of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme.”
Which of those casinos might have been victimized remains unknown at this time. The fraudulent means of stealing millions of dollars from those properties is also unknown.
“As the matter is before the courts, we are unable to discuss the specifics of this case,” police told Global News.
The suspect has been charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and two counts of an offense involving forged documents. The man is expected to appear in court on April 4.
In February, two men were also charged by the OPP for identity theft and numerous other related crimes. As part of a search of a home in the case, authorities seized “multiple electronic devices, fraudulent documents and instruments related to non-gaming criminal offenses,” according to the OPP.
The OPP and Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) partnered in the investigation. The case highlighted the growing concerns with cybercrime related to online gaming and the industry and law enforcement efforts to combat the problem.
“Online fraud is not uniquely a sports betting or iGaming problem,” GeoComply director of risk services Danny DiRienzo said in an April report. The company offers geolocation compliance as well as online site protection. “Recent data shows that cybercrimes were up 50% in 2022 across all forms of e-commerce.”
