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CEO Fraud: Lethbridge Police warn of major business scam

Lethbridge businesses are being warned to take steps against a major scam making the rounds.

The “CEO fraud” involves scammers sending an email, impersonating the CEO or other person in authority’s email address, to request a wire transfer of money to a third party.

Lethbridge Police say the spoofed email looks legitimate and makes the request sounds both urgent and confidential. Upon receipt of the official-looking email, an unsuspecting employee complies with the request and transfers the money. Once the fraud is detected the money is usually long gone.

LPS notes it’s aware of at least two significant CEO frauds here where large corporations have fallen victim and in one case a local public institution lost $350,000.

Back in August, the City of Saskatoon got swindled for a whopping one million plus dollars.

Lethbridge Police are asking local businesses to educate their employees about the CEO scam and be skeptical of financial requests made in email.

Patrick Siedlecki
Patrick Siedlecki
Pat has been a mainstay in the CJOC News department from the time the station launched in 2007. He's been in the position of News Director since then and has been anchoring daily news casts as well as reporting and working behind the scenes. Community is important to him and keeping CJOC listeners and readers informed about what's happening across southern Alberta and beyond. Pat has been in radio broadcasting for the past 24 years, starting in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island in 1997 and then moving up island to Nanaimo for another few years before heading to Lethbridge in 2007. Pat grew up in the small Saskatchewan farming town of Foam Lake. After high school, he went to Western Academy Broadcasting College (WABC) in Saskatoon prior to moving to the island. Pat also spent several years broadcasting hockey in the BCHL as well as seven years as the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL. Pat has been working at Cornerstone Funeral Home in Lethbridge as a Certified Life Celebrant and Funeral Assistant since 2016. News and sports have always been Pat's passion from the time he was a teenager and he's always been grateful to have had the opportunity to make that part of what's been a fun and long radio career!
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