Calgary's Fueling Brains Academy targeted by 'possible data breach'

Calgary police said an email was sent to parents on Dec. 6, 2024, from someone posing at the head of Fueling Brains Academy's McKnight campus, alleging mistreatment at the school. Officials say the email is a fake and it's working with the business to install safeguards.

Calgary police say a strange email addressed to parents of students at Fueling Brains Academy did not come from the business.

On Friday morning, several parents received an email from a Gmail account purported to be from Anmol Kalirao, one of the executives at the school that provides care and education for nearly 2,000 children in Calgary and Strathmore.

The message makes several shocking allegations about the institution and its practices.

Despite using the name of one of the executives, Calgary police said the email is a hoax.

"A report was made to police about a possible data breach incident at Fueling Brains Academy. An email was sent to parents, but it did not come from Fueling Brains," a CPS spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.

Police said there is not enough evidence to open a formal investigation into the matter, but are offering to help the business any way they can.

'Take this matter very seriously'

In a statement, Fueling Brains Academy confirmed the email was fraudulent and likely came from a former employee who did not have any contact with any of its campuses.

"The safety of our students and staff remains paramount and we categorically deny the claims," the statement said.

"We take this matter very seriously and are collaborating closely with the Calgary Police Service, legal counsel and licensing authorities to address and investigate the incident."

The school said it has launched a full review to protect itself against any further problems.

Fueling Brains Academy is the child-care service and preschool that was linked to a massive E. coli outbreak in 2023.

The outbreak, which was declared on Sept. 4, 2023, sickened hundreds of people, including many small children.

A formal report into the outbreak found the bacteria was mostly likely in a meatloaf produced at Fueling Minds, a shared kitchen that supplied meals to the company's schools. However, it could not determine where the contamination took place.

The outbreak led to 448 infections and 38 children and one adult needed to be hospitalized.

Fueling Minds and its directors were charged by the City of Calgary for serving food to the child-care centres without a licence.