Edmontonians have lost $20 million to an international phone scam

Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is warning residents about an international fraud network that has cost Edmontonians millions of dollars.

In a Tuesday news release, EPS shared details on its investigation into the scam, which it says had been operating since at least October 2024 and was linked to multiple call centres in Lahore, Pakistan. As part of the scam, fraudsters pretended to be representatives of telecoms like Rogers, Telus and Virgin, and offered free or heavily discounted cellphones to persuade victims to provide personal information and order new devices through their legitimate service providers.

Once victims received the phones, they would receive follow-up calls claiming the wrong devices had been shipped and were instructed to ship them to another address. From there, the fraudsters would collect the devices and resell them. EPS says it’s aware of about 100 reports of this scam in Edmonton, which it says has collectively cost residents around $20 million in losses.

EPS says a 31-year-old Edmonton man was arrested in connection with the scam and that it’s shared the results of its investigation with the appropriate international authorities.

Notably, the EPS isn’t the only Canadian law enforcement dealing with these kinds of scams. Earlier this year, we reported on warnings from several Ontario police agencies about telecom scams.

EPS advises residents to be cautious of unsolicited calls, texts and emails from people claiming to represent telecom companies. Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a crime is advised to contact 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. EPS also has a resource page providing more information on signs of a scam.

Source: Edmonton Police Service