Edmonton police say a nearly year-long partnership with “ethical hackers” who infiltrate online fraud operations helped identify victims of active scams and prevent more than $45 million in losses.
Between July 2025 and May 2026, the Edmonton Police Service worked with a network of ethical hackers—also known as “scam baiters”—who gathered information tied to ongoing fraud schemes and shared it with investigators, police said in a news release.
Edmonton police then worked with the U.S. Secret Service and Collin County Texas Sheriff’s Office to identify the victims and stop money transfers before the funds could reach the scammers.
“We were able to convince over 300 victims within Canada, the U.S., a few in the UK as well that they were being victimized and we were able to start shutting that scam down,” Virtual Investigations Section Cst. Brian Mason said at a press conference on May 22. “As of yesterday, it’s actually over $45 million that we’ve actually subverted in losses and that just continues to climb.”…