Durham police have identified a suspect in a series of telephone banking frauds targeting Bowmanville residents, months after issuing a public appeal for assistance.
Police say the scheme began in September 2024, when an elderly woman received a call from a man claiming to be a bank employee.
Officials allege the caller told the victim that her accounts had been compromised and convinced her to provide her PINs under the belief that she would receive new cards. The suspect “told the victim that a courier would attend her address shortly to pick up the compromised cards and the new cards would be sent to her the next day,” police said.
Shortly after, police say fraudulent transactions were made across Bowmanville, Courtice, and Oshawa. Police also allege that surveillance footage captured the same suspect using the stolen cards.
Police have identified the suspect as 32-year-old Thanushan Uruthiramoorthy from Markham, who is wanted on 21 charges, including multiple counts of fraud over $5,000, fraud under $5,000, possession of identity information for a fraudulent offence, and use of a credit card obtained by crime.
Investigators are asking anyone with footage to come forward and contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
“Banking institutions will never ask for your pin number over the phone or offer courier services to pick up debit/credit cards. If you receive a call from your bank and are unsure if its legitimate, contact your bank directly or attend a branch in person,” officials warned.
