Two men have been charged after allegedly defrauding eight men in Calgary and Edmonton after meeting them through online dating sites and then stealing their debit and credit card codes.
Police in Edmonton and Calgary worked together on the case. They say the two men allegedly stole more than $80,000 from the bank accounts of eight Albertans – four in Edmonton and four in Calgary – and complainants in B.C. beginning in 2015.
Mourad Aytour, 42 and Saed Teeti, 36, were arrested at different homes in Calgary on Feb. 18.
It’s alleged they targeted multiple men on dating sites used by older gay men, established relationships with them, then watched them type in PIN codes for their debit and credit cards.
It was reported to police that one of the older men targeted was also drugged using GHB.
Aytour and Teeti have been charged with eight counts each of fraud and theft. Police say other charges are pending.
Investigators believe there might be other victims across Alberta and the Vancouver area who haven’t come forward yet. Anyone in Edmonton who may have been targeted is asked to contact EPS at 780-423-4567. Possible victims in Calgary are asked to contact CPS at 403-266-1234. Anyone in the Vancouver area should contact VPD at 604-717-3321.
“We understand that this might be a difficult decision for some victims,” Const. Chris Liew with the EPS Cyber Crimes unit said. “This is a discreet lifestyle that some victims might have – they do not wish their families to know about this – however, due to the seriousness of the allegation we are asking the help of the victims to please come forward and speak with us.”
The victims in Edmonton first came forward to police which started the investigation.
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