Edmonton police said two men are facing a number of charges in connection to an online dating scam that saw multiple male targets throughout western Canada lose tens of thousands of dollars.
Its alleged Mourad Aytour, 42, and Saed Teeti, 36, targeted multiple males on online dating sites that are frequented by older gay males.
It’s believed the accused would then establish relationships, before finding their pin codes and stealing debit and credit cards. In one of the cases, it’s alleged a target was drugged using GHB.
The pair worked together, police said, and it’s alleged they stole more than $80,000 from bank accounts belonging to eight Alberta men, four in Edmonton and four in Calgary, beginning in 2015.
Investigators also believe there could be other victims in Alberta, and throughout the Vancouver area, who have not yet come forward.
The two accused are each facing eight counts each of fraud and theft, and numerous other charges are pending. The pair was arrested in a joint operation with the Edmonton Police Service Cyber Crimes Investigative Detail and Technological Crimes Unit and members of the Calgary Police on Thursday, February 18 at two homes in southwest Calgary.
Anyone in the Edmonton-area who may have come in contact with either accused is asked to call the Edmonton Police Service non-emergency line at 780-423-4567 or #377 on a mobile phone. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
