Edmonton police are warning businesses across Alberta and British Columbia after a man was charged in connection with an alleged fraud scheme involving nearly 100 fake cell phone contract transactions and more than $250,000 in losses.The Edmonton Police Service says its investigation began in January 2026 after reports surfaced that a suspect was allegedly targeting small business customers at cell phone retailers across both provinces.Police allege the accused posed as either the owner or an authorized representative of small businesses and used forged business registration documents to open accounts with major telecom providers including Telus and Bell Canada. Once accounts were established, investigators say he obtained high-end smartphones on credit and failed to pay for them.In total, investigators allege the scheme involved more than 97 separate incidents, 70 fraudulent business accounts, and the acquisition of 143 new Apple iPhones with an estimated value of about $255,469.On March 30, 37-year-old Quoc-Tuan (also known as Jimmy) Huynh of Chestermere was charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000. He has also since been charged with two additional counts of uttering forged documents.Police say the scale and repeated nature of the alleged fraud has prompted a public warning to retailers.“Due to the volume and value of phones that were fraudulently obtained, and the fact that this fraud is affecting small local cell phone retailers, we’re are warning the public about this prolific scam,” said Staff Sgt. Marc Dehid of the EPS Virtual Investigations Section.“We want to warn business owners to be on the lookout for the accused, and to make sure they’re verifying customer identification according to their anti-fraud policies,” he said.Police say the investigation remains ongoing and are urging retailers to remain vigilant when processing business account applications.
