While the needs have never been greater for Moisson Estrie, the food aid organization has been the victim of massive bank fraud. One or more individuals created fake checks and were able to steal $ 15,000 from him.
The fraudsters obtained the account number of the organization. They then made checks from scratch, which were addressed to different people, to have access to funds from Moisson Estrie.
So far, two counterfeit checks have been presented to banking institutions. The first, in the amount of $ 50,000, was deemed suspicious by an employee and blocked from depositing. However, the second, established at a cost of $ 15,000, was actually accepted.
Moisson Estrie noticed the unusual withdrawal a few days later. Its administrators wonder why the check was accepted even though it was not authentic and did not have the signature of one of the signatories of the organization recognized by its financial institution.
It looks like, but is not the same as, the signature of the person who wrote our donation receipts for charity but did not provide the checks. […] That leads me to say that the person who wrote that check however researched in relation to Moisson Estrie to find the account number, rewrite the check and mimic an employee’s signature.explanation by Moisson Estrie director, Geneviève Côté.
The organization must return its money, but the process is not straightforward. The refund is pending for two weeks, making it difficult for his non-profit budget.
” The $ 15,000 hole is still big. We don’t have a million reserve, nothing really. “
A concern also remains on the part of the organization. We are not immune to other tests that come out this waylamented Geneviève Côté. We find ourselves with our hands tied in the expectation of “hopefully we don’t have another situation like this”.
A complaint was filed with Sherbrooke police. At Desjardins, I also understood that there were outside investigators. I hope this person is intercepted soon and there are no other victimsemphasizing the Geneviève Côté.
Every check verified, Desjardins assures
Desjardins argues that each check goes through a verification process but this process can take several days.
Desjardins is aligned with the best practices in the market, as are other financial institutions. We work together a lot. Checks verified. There are several levels of verification. We cannot actually disclose our procedures, what exactly we review or when, for security reasons.explanation by key spokesperson for the Desjardins movement Chantal Corbeil.
He states that this type of fraud is rampant and will definitely pay Moisson Estrie. What matters is that the member, when he is the victim of this type of fraud, is not liable, and the person who assumes the loss is actually the financial institution, in this case, Desjardinshe says.
Members also have access to several possible solutions while waiting to be paid.
When such situations occur, it is on a case -by -case basis. […] This is to see if we can offer a margin. If the person already has a line of credit, he can use it temporarily, and eventually, in any case, he will be paid, but these are agreements they can make to have access to ‘money.assured Chantal Corbeil.
The Sherbrooke Police Service said an investigation is underway.
Tips to avoid fraud
Without commenting on Moisson Estrie’s particular case, the ombudsman’s director of communications for banking services and investment, Mark Wright, provides some advice to the public to protect themselves from this type of fraud. .
Consumers can take several steps to protect their account numbers and banking information, including making sure their checks are kept in a safe place and doing the same with their bank account statements. They should also cut out any paper statements or checks that they no longer need. Many banks have alert systems that consumers can sign up for. Thus they will receive an alert when there is a withdrawal from the account. This will help to quickly intercept unusual activityhe said in an email to Radio-Canada.
Another important practice is to check your account statements at least once a month. If a customer notices something strange, they should contact their bank immediately.He added.
With information from Thomas Deshaies
Source: Radio-Canada
