Trio from Montreal area face identify theft charges in Alberta

CALGARY — Three Quebecers have been charged in Alberta with fraud after being accused of stealing identities to take more than $88,000 from their victims’ bank accounts.

The Lethbridge Regional Police Service said it discovered the scam after a suspicious transaction at a bank Oct. 25.

Police say a woman claimed she had lost her bank card and needed a replacement. An hour later, she returned to withdraw a large sum of cash.

When bank staff became suspicious, they determined the woman was not who she claimed to be, say police.

She was arrested, along with two men in a nearby vehicle.

Police say the group has since been tied to similar frauds in Alberta since September.

All victims are from Ontario and police believe their identities were stolen by phishing schemes or malware.

Priscilla Chalifoux, 19, of Montreal, Johnson Egalité, 27, of Laval, and Sylvain John Boutros, 22, of Montreal appear Wednesday.