In the last 4 months West Shore RCMP have received 2 complaints of cyber fraud from businesses who report their IT systems had been breached, and financial accounts compromised.
In both cases the fraudster assumed the identity of the business manager, and sent an email to the accounting department ordering wire transfers to third party accounts.
The 2 targeted businesses are not related to each other, but both reported a foreign IP address was detected in their systems -- and created, or attempted to create, fraudulent payments to an account in another country, like the U.S.A or Nigeria.
RCMP say access to the systems likely came through unsolicited e-mails.
West Shore RCMP say the potential for loss is huge, and advise businesses and the public to be vigilant in vetting incoming e-mails. Don't open them or respond if you don't recognize the sender.
And keep your passwords safe and change them frequently.