Four Charged in $1M Edmonton Casino ATM Fraud

Four men from Edmonton are facing serious charges after what the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) describe as a “co-ordinated ATM fraud” targeting casinos in the city and causing more than $1 million in losses.

Police Carried Six Search Warrants

According to a statement released Monday by the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region (NWR), the scheme involved large cash withdrawals designed to “evade detection and exploit financial institutions.” 

Police say the operation not only siphoned money but also caused ATMs across Western Canada to stop working.

The investigation began when the RCMP noticed unusual activity at casino ATMs in the Edmonton area, including a string of high-value withdrawals that caused system outages. This prompted officers from both the NWR and the Edmonton Police Service to carry out six search warrants in the region.

During those searches, investigators came across evidence of fraud and money laundering. As a result, E.M. (42), V.B.T. (39), H.J.H.A. (37), and D.J. (42) were charged with fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime. 

H.J.H.A. and V.B.T. also face additional counts of laundering the proceeds of crime.

While searching the properties, police also uncovered an undisclosed quantity of cocaine, which led to a separate drug trafficking charge against a fifth man, identified as 28-year-old Alberta resident H.I. 

Four of the accused were scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice at the start of the week, while the 28-year-old suspect remains at large with a warrant issued for his arrest.

Joint Efforts

While the police are yet to officially disclose the exact casinos or dates of the said incidents, the nature of the fraud would indicate carefully timed and organized efforts. 

The suspects coordinated their withdrawals to bypass specific detection measures used by banks, which enabled them to take out large amounts of money before the systems could flag the respective transactions.

The RCMP thanked the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis, the Edmonton Police Service, and several financial institutions for their help during the investigation. In a similar case of casino-related scams, authorities in South Korea booked 12 members of a criminal organization who scammed rich invididuals out of roughly $850,000 using extortion and rigged casino games.