Major Fraud Unit

The 23 members of the Major Fraud Unit investigated 919 incidents of fraud, counterfeit currency, credit and debit card fraud and identity theft in 2010. Members also educated approximately 450 residents on fraud prevention and detection during nine public education seminars throughout the year. In one 2010 highlight, #2 District frontline officers observed suspicious behaviour in a hotel parking lot, leading to the seizure of a backpack which contained a stolen pin pad terminal. Members of the Major Fraud Unit executed a search warrant at a room in that hotel, where officers found equipment used to modify point-of-sale pin pads. A second warrant led to the seizure of a computer containing several thousand fraudulent card accounts, additional pin pads and instruments used in credit card forgery.