A part-time, Bank of Montreal bank teller has been charged with fraud after a months-long investigation that uncovered clients were stripped of hundreds of thousands of dollars, CTV Ottawa has learned.
Ottawa police allege a bank teller used his position to access the private information of nine Ottawa clients and then pass it along to criminals in Edmonton and Toronto.
“In this case, fraudsters would go into the bank and say they lost their debit card, so they'd ask for new card and get a new PIN,” said Sgt. Steven Desjourdy, the lead investigator on the case with the Organized Fraud Unit of the Ottawa Police.
The alleged fraudsters then impersonated the victims and moved their money to accounts the thieves controlled.
Osman Wisse, 24, was charged in mid-December and now faces nine counts of fraud over $5,000; along with conspiracy to commit, possession of property obtained by crime and unauthorized use of a computer.
“At this point, the bank lost over $320,000,” said Desjourdy.
All of the clients have since been reimbursed though the bank has not reclaimed its money.
Desjourdy said the fraudsters were actually in the bank at the counter with their fake IDs, and about to conduct transactions from one account to another totalling $360,000 when bank investigators intervened.
“Because of good employee training and detecting, another $360,000 [in theft] was prevented,” he said.
A statement from the Bank of Montreal said it’s stepping up its security measures and that protecting its clients is a top priority.
“We have notified the affected clients, reimbursed them for their losses and are taking enhanced security measures with their accounts,” said Julie Smithers with BMO Financial Group,
Wisse’s first court appearance is on January 24. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
