Edmonton police want business owners to be on the lookout for these rising types of fraud

A woman types a credit card number into a computer in this file image. Fri., March 20, 2026. PHOTO: CTV NEWS

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) financial crimes unit is warning business owners of common frauds under investigation in the city in recent months.

Investigators began looking into impersonation fraud in March 2026 after a local business lost $50,000 in product.

Scammers would impersonate real employees from other organizations, creating fake email addresses and website domains that mimic well-known businesses like Nestle, Parsons Corporation, Emco Corporation and JBS Foods.

They would then place orders that seemed genuine but would be shipped to third-party warehouses before being sent overseas without paying invoices.

Since the local loss, investigators say they’ve found several companies across Canada impacted by the same scheme, with cumulative losses of more than $300,000. Of that, officers were able to intercept $130,000 worth of goods before shipping.

EPS officers are also investigating chargeback scams, one of which defrauded an Edmonton business $25,000.

Chargeback fraud involves stolen credit cards used for legitimate purchases, wherein the actual cardholder reports the transactions as fraudulent and their bank reverses it and returns the money. This leaves businesses without the product and payment.

Fraudsters will typically target businesses that offer shopping or delivery services so they can distance themselves from the initial purchase, police say. In recent investigations, products were shipped to addresses in Quebec, then placed into shipping containers bound for Africa.

EPS recommends businesses take the following steps to prevent frauds:

• independently verify new customers or changes in ordering patterns using known contact information
• carefully examine email domains for subtle differences like misspellings or extra characters
• question large or urgent orders, particularly from new contacts – verify them with known contacts
• confirm shipping addresses, especially if they differ from previously established locations
• train staff to recognize signs of social engineering and impersonation
• be cautious of mismatched billing and shipping information
• maintain detailed transaction and shipping records; and
• report suspicious activity promptly to police and financial institutions

Business owners who believe they have been defrauded in a similar way can contact EPS at 780-423-4567.