Police thwart attempt to defraud B.C. First Nation of $406,000 intended for project
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
ALERT BAY – Police in British Columbia say they have prevented a fraud scheme targeting a First Nation on northern Vancouver Island that had redirected more than $400,000 to a fake bank account.
Alert Bay RCMP say the case was first reported by the Namgis First Nation on May 13, where $406,000 meant for contractors in the construction of a new wellness and treatment centre was redirected by a fraudulent email to the fake account.
Police say co-ordination with authorities in Eastern Canada resulted in a freeze placed on a bank account allegedly operated by an organized crime group.
Officers from Alert Bay then led the execution of a search warrant on a home in Aurora, Ont., where they uncovered suspected counterfeit currency, forged documents, electronic devices and other items linked to organized financial crime networks.
Police didn’t reveal how much of the First Nation’s funds were able to be saved by the bank account freeze, only saying it was “significant.”
They say the recovered money is now available to be returned to the nation through court processes, and the investigation into the case remains active.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2025.