Waterloo Regional Police are warning residents and businesses about a fraud scheme involving e-transfers and auto-deposit banking features after investigating a recent incident in North Dumfries Township.

In early August 2026, police received a report that an organization's billing email account had been compromised. Investigators learned that the email address associated with the organization's bank account had been fraudulently reassigned to a separate bank account controlled by an unknown individual.

As a result, e-transfers sent by legitimate clients were successfully processed but were redirected to the fraudulent account rather than being deposited into the intended account.

The fraudulent activity is believed to have occurred between July 30 and August 4, 2026. Once auto-deposit was disabled, the unauthorized redirection of funds stopped.

Investigators believe this method could impact both individuals and businesses that use auto-deposit for e-transfers. The scheme may be difficult to detect, as senders often receive confirmation that funds have been transferred, while the intended recipient never receives the payment.

Waterloo Regional Police are reminding the public to:

• Regularly monitor bank accounts and transaction histories.
• Review any email addresses associated with auto-deposit features.
• Enable multi-factor authentication on email and banking accounts where available.
• Investigate unexpected account changes or suspicious activity immediately.
• Follow up with recipients of e-transfers to confirm payments have been received.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a similar fraud is encouraged to contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.