Email Fraud Warning: RCMP Alerts Businesses in Codiac Region
The Codiac Regional RCMP is alerting businesses in the region about an ongoing email-based fraud scheme targeting corporate payments and vendor transactions. This warning, issued on May 26, 2026, focuses on a type of cybercrime known as business email compromise, where criminals manipulate email communications to divert money or goods.
According to the official notice, fraudsters are using email addresses that closely resemble legitimate vendors, clients, or partner companies to trick staff into sending funds or products to criminal accounts. The scheme is active and recurring, and businesses in New Brunswick are urged to review their payment procedures immediately and remain highly cautious when responding to email requests involving banking or billing changes.
How the Email Fraud Scheme Works
The RCMP describes a consistent pattern in how these scams are carried out against businesses:
- A business receives an email that appears to come from a trusted vendor, client, or business partner.
- The sender claims there is updated banking or contact information (for example, a new account number or revised billing details), or they may request payment without clearly announcing any change.
- The email instructs the business to send payments or ship products using the new or provided details.
- Assuming the request is legitimate, the business processes the payment or sends the goods.
- Only later does the business discover that the real vendor or client never made the request and never received the money or products.
This type of fraud, often called email spoofing or business email compromise, can result in substantial financial losses and operational disruption. Similar cyber-enabled crimes are tracked across Canada in our broader community safety alerts to help businesses and residents recognize patterns and emerging threats.
Key Protective Steps for New Brunswick Businesses
The RCMP is urging all organizations, from small businesses to larger companies, to strengthen internal controls and adopt verification practices to reduce the risk of this scam. Recommended measures include:
- Verify any change to payment or banking details by contacting the company directly using established, previously known phone numbers or email addresses—not the contact information in the suspicious message.
- Inspect email addresses carefully for minor spelling changes, extra characters, punctuation, or unusual domains that may signal a spoofed account.
- Be skeptical of urgent or unexpected payment requests, especially those pressuring same-day or after-hours transfers.
- Implement strict internal verification procedures for all financial transactions, such as dual approval for changes to vendor banking information and independent callbacks before processing high-value payments.
Businesses that suspect they have been targeted or victimized are asked to report incidents promptly. You can also use CrimeCanada.ca’s Contact & Report a Tip page to learn how to share relevant information with law enforcement and community partners.
How to Report This Type of Fraud
The RCMP encourages any business that believes it may have received fraudulent emails, attempted payment requests, or has already suffered a loss to take the following steps:
- Report the incident to your local police service or nearest RCMP detachment as soon as possible.
- File a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501.
- Submit details online through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
When reporting, gather all relevant emails, invoices, transaction records, and internal notes. Early reporting improves the chances of tracing funds and helps authorities understand current fraud trends affecting the business community.
CrimeCanada.ca Safety Perspective
From the perspective of CrimeCanada.ca, this alert is a critical reminder that economic crime can strike any organization in New Brunswick, regardless of size or sector. Business email compromise is one of the most financially damaging forms of fraud in Canada because it exploits trust between established partners, not just technical vulnerabilities. By taking the time to verify email requests, training staff to spot suspicious messages, and reporting every incident, local businesses help reduce the overall risk for the entire community. Our mission is to support safer communities by sharing timely, data-driven safety information so that organizations can protect their finances, employees, and customers from evolving digital threats.
Official Source & Community Safety
This safety alert is based on an official release from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). CrimeCanada.ca aggregates and analyzes this data to keep the new-brunswick community informed, aware, and safe. We are an independent safety data aggregator and not the original creators of the underlying incident report.
Read the full official release here: RCMP Official Statement.