Two Vancouver Island businesses are out tens of thousands of dollars after falling victim to what police describe as an electronic payment scam.
In a news release issued February 11th, Oceanside RCMP said the incidents were reported in December 2025 and February 2026.
In both cases, two Oceanside businesses discovered that electronic payments sent to suppliers had never been received.
According to police, each business received an email appearing to come from a trusted supplier shortly before invoices were due.
The emails advised that the supplier’s banking information had changed and requested that future payments be directed to a new account.
Believing the requests were legitimate, the businesses updated the banking details and sent payments to the new accounts.
Investigators now believe the suppliers’ email accounts had been compromised without their knowledge. Suspects allegedly used the compromised accounts to send fraudulent messages instructing the local companies to redirect their payments.
In one of the cases, police determined the stolen funds were deposited into a bank account opened using fraudulent identification.
The money was later withdrawn through multiple ATM transactions.
Police are reminding businesses and individuals across Vancouver Island to take extra precautions when receiving requests to change electronic payment information.
If an email asks you to update banking details, investigators recommend confirming the request by calling the sender directly using a known and trusted phone number.
Anyone with information related to theses incidenets are asked to contact Oceanside RCMP.
