Two people are charged in a digital fraud investigation in Sarnia.
Police said in fall of 2025, a local property management company noticed thousands of dollars missing from its business account for an apartment building on Devine Street.
It's alleged about $11,230 in rent payments were fraudulently redirected.
Police said during an investigation, it was determined between August 29 and September 2 of 2025, nine rent payments sent via e-transfer were intercepted and deposited into accounts not associated with the company.
While tenants received standard auto-deposit confirmations, the recipient name had been altered, leading funds to be redirected.
A detailed financial analysis was conducted and investigators identified two Hamilton residents, a 22-year-old and a 23-year-old, had received and used the diverted funds.
With the assistance of the Hamilton Police Service, the two were arrested and charged with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. Police said they were released with a later court date.
Sarnia police are reminding residents to protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud by doing the following:
• Never share passwords or multi-factor authentication codes.
• Regularly monitor financial accounts for irregular activity.
• Verify email addresses carefully before sending e-transfers.
• Enable multi-factor authentication on business and personal accounts.
• Immediately report suspicious account activity to your financial institution and police.
If you believe you may have been the victim of a fraud, contact your local police service and report the matter to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
