North Bay police believe suspects involved in debit card scams across Ontario

Police in North Bay have released photos of three suspects – two women and a man -- involved in a debit card scam Oct. 11 at an RBC branch on Stockdale Road in the city. (North Bay police photos)

Police in North Bay have released photos of three suspects – two women and a man -- involved in a debit card scam Oct. 11 at an RBC branch on Stockdale Road in the city.

"The North Bay Police Service has reason to believe the suspects are involved in similar incidents that have occurred across the province of Ontario," police said in a news release Tuesday.

The incident in North Bay took place around 5:45 p.m. when a victim tried to withdraw money from an ATM but had trouble.

"The male suspect in this incident approached the victim and took the victim’s debit card from him, claiming to be assisting him," police said.

"The suspect then returned what the victim later realized was a debit card belonging to another individual. By this time, the suspect had fled the area. The victim later discovered a quantity of Canadian currency had been withdrawn from his bank account without his knowledge or consent."

Police are not saying how much money was taken, how the scam worked, how the scammers got the victim's PIN number or what involvement the female suspects had in the incident.

They did say the investigation identified three suspects believed to be involved in the case. The male suspect was of slim build, medium height and was wearing a red baseball hat, a mask, jeans, white running shoes and a green jacket.

The first female suspect is of slim build, medium height with shoulder length dark hair. She was wearing a blue jacket, a mask, jeans and white running shoes.

The second female suspect also had a slim build, medium height, a black jacket, light blue plants, white and black running shoes and was carrying a large white purse.

Anyone with information that can help identify the suspects in this incident -- including dash cam or security camera footage from the area around the time of the incident -- is asked to call police at 705-497-5555 and press 5 to speak with an officer.

To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.