Suspects Apprehended Following Identity Theft on OLG iGaming Platform

Author:

Jacob Curran

|Published: January 30th, 2024

In August 2022, reports surfaced concerning illicit activities on an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) iGaming site, www.OLG.ca.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Investigation and Enforcement Bureau, affiliated with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), responded to July 2022 identity theft alerts within the Ontario-regulated online iGaming sphere.

Subsequently, on July 13, 2023, search warrants were executed at a North York residence, leading to the confiscation of "numerous electronic devices, counterfeit documents, and tools associated with non-gaming criminal activities," according to an OPP statement.

On December 21, 2023, law enforcement formally charged two individuals under the Criminal Code. Ernesto Rasing, 38, from Toronto, faces charges including fraud over $5,000, Use of forged documents, and Identity theft.

Elaiza Mae Paculanan, 20, from North York, faces similar charges and an additional count of failing to comply with an undertaking.

Released from custody, both suspects are required to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto.

Victims of cybercrime or fraud are urged to report incidents to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre via its online reporting system or by phone at 1-888-495-8501.