A Toronto-area man is facing a charge in an alleged “spear phishing” scam that saw some $94,000 taken from a Hamilton, Ont., agency that helps homeless and marginalized communities.
Peel police say the fraud involved a spoof email account that appeared to belong to a contractor requesting a payment from Hamilton’s Good Shepherd for work done.
“Good Shepherd was advised to send outstanding payments of over $94,000 to a new bank account,” Peel police explained in a release.
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“Once they learned that the funds were not received by the appropriate contractor, police were contacted.”
A 33-year-old man from Mississauga, identified in a release, was arrested and charged with possession of property obtained by crime.
He’s expected to face a judge at an Ontario Court of Justice at a later date.