Ontario couple charged with allegedly scamming nearly 600 victims out of millions: police

The Ontario RCMP division has shut down a cyber-fraud ring that has allegedly scammed hundreds of Canadians out of millions. 

An RCMP report released today indicated that the two suspects, a Toronto couple, are suspected of using software that allegedly allowed them to hide their phone numbers so they could pose as law enforcement officials, bank representatives, and government employees to scam victims out of funds. 

The platform, ‘iSpoof.cc’ — which bolsters nearly 38,000 international subscribers — was used by the suspects to make phone calls that masked their Caller IDs to look like legitimate agencies. 

According to the RCMP’s report, the suspected Toronto couple is believed to be among the platform’s top 50 most active users.

The RCMP’s Cybercrime Investigative Team (CIT) in Toronto seized several electronic devices from the suspect’s residence after executing search warrants yesterday (Feb. 19).

Police indicated they are actively analyzing these devices to determine the degree to which they were used in the alleged crimes, which, according to law enforcement, defrauded at least 570 individuals out of millions nationwide. 

Upon warrant execution, the two suspects, 29-year-old Chakib Mansouri, and 31-year-old Majdouline Alouah were charged with the following crimes:

• Fraud
• Unauthorized use of computers 
• Criminal money laundering
• Processing funds acquired via laundering 

RCMP officials cited the successful arrest of these two individuals as the result of cooperation with international agencies, including the London Metropolitan Police, the Dutch National Police, EUROPOL, EUROJUST, Toronto Police, Peel Regional Police, FINTRAC, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), and the National Cybercrime Coordination Centre (NC3).

“This investigation underscores the critical importance of international cooperation in the global fight against cybercrime. In our interconnected world where cyber threats transcend borders, the collaboration between law enforcement agencies, both domestically and internationally, is essential,” said Lina Dabit, Inspector in charge of the Cybercrime Investigative Team in Toronto in an official statement. 

Both suspects remain in police custody and are anticipated to appear in court in Toronto on Feb. 21. 

RCMP officials have noted that the number of anticipated victims is expected to increase as a result of yesterday’s search warrants.