VicPD Warns Business Owners to be Vigilant After Attempted Frauds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
 
March 12, 2026 
File: 26-9750 

Victoria, B.C. – Investigators with the Victoria Police Department are warning local businesses to be vigilant, following attempted frauds that involved personalized information. 

VicPD was contacted by a representative of two businesses in the 900 block of Government Street on March 9, 2026. The person said two business locations on the block had been subject to fraudulent phone calls asking them to bring the businesses' daily deposit to an unknown individual.  

In the first instance on March 8, the business received a call from a man. In the second instance on March 9, the secondary business received a call from a woman. The caller had posed as the owner and owner’s partner, providing the correct names, and asked staff to bring the daily deposit to the 700 block of Fort Street. 

“We would classify this as a vishing scam,” said Det/Cst. Vlad Filatov. “Fraudsters leverage technology such as AI or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers to trick people and try to get sensitive financial information.” 

Staff recognized the calls seemed fake and declined the offers, so there was no money lost in either case. Further investigation by police determined that both numbers were VoIP numbers with known fraudulent activity. 

“Businesses can reduce the risk of this type of fraud by asking employees to independently verify unexpected financial requests with the owner or manager using an agreed-upon contact method,” adds Det/Cst. Filatov. “Staff should be trained to recognize social engineering tactics, such as callers impersonating management and creating urgency to bypass normal procedures.” 

The independent verification for any payments should not be made via email, because email can become compromised. 

March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada. You can help safeguard yourself by learning more on our website. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also has resources available online. 

If you’ve felt victimized by a scam, police encourage you to contact the E-Comm non-emergency line at 250-995-7654 ext. 1. Anyone with information on this file, who has not yet spoken with investigators, is asked to contact the same number and reference file 26-9750.