A brazen and international scheme to defraud the federal government out of a ‘significant amount of money’ has been foiled by the RCMP.

After a lengthy investigation, the Mounties on May 10 arrested a Mississauga man who was charged with three fraud-related offences for allegedly impersonating an elected official last spring.

The man claimed to be from a large and powerful West African human rights, equality and justice advocacy group that was established in 2000.

“We believe in the agency of people and that citizen participation is the cornerstone of democracy,” according to the group’s website.

The National Division RCMP’S Cybercrime Investigative Team launched a probe in April 2020.

The investigation began “after an unknown individual contacted an employee of a federal government department and requested the transfer of a significant amount of money”

“This type of scam is often referred to as Business Email Compromise (BEC), and in this instance, no transfer of funds took place thanks to the vigilance of public service staff,” according to the RCMP.

“In this instance, the assistance of public service staff and Postal Inspectors from Canada Post contributed to the RCMP’s ability to identify and arrest a suspect,” said Insp. Alexandre Beaulieu, Officer in Charge of the RCMP Cybercrime Investigative Team for National Division.

Kenneth Kenzo Alaye Achu, 27, of Mississauga, has been charged with fraud, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. He is before the courts.

BEC, also known as CEO impersonation, is defined as “a form of phishing attack where a cybercriminal impersonates an executive and attempts to get an employee, customer, or vendor to transfer funds or sensitive information to the phisher.”

This threat is designed to trick the victim into thinking they received an email from what appears to be a trusted individual such as an organization leader like the CEO or CFO asking for some sort of money or classified employee information.

The charity group at the centre of this scam claims to work in 10 countries in Africa with offices in Dakar, Abuja and Freetown.