YMCA-YWCA Director pleads guilty to Fraud Under $5000

https://www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news/index.aspx?newsId=3bd960fa-55eb-4797-9e94-0c12f393aa9a

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, October 30, 2018     2:15pm 

(Ottawa) – In January 2016, the Ottawa Police Service was alerted by the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region to suspicious financial activity involving their Director of Employment and Newcomer Services.

To administer Ottawanewcomer and employment services, the YMCA-YWCA receives public grant money from various Government agencies.

The YMCA-YWCA had conducted an audit of the credit card expenditures of the Director and found that between October 2011 and December 2015 $20, 548.40 worth of fraudulent purchases were charged against the business credit card issued to her. It was noted that many of these transactions were for the purchase of prepaid gift cards. 

The Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit conducted an investigation and on March 1, 2018 laid a charge of Fraud Over, Possess Property Obtained by Crime, and Launder Proceeds of Crime against Tanya-Elizabeth GAGNON DUGAL-MENDES, 40 years old of Ottawa.

On October 29, 2018, Ms. GAGNON DUGAL-MENDES pleaded guilty to one count of Fraud Under $5000. Ms. GAGNON DUGAL-MENDES was sentenced to an eighteen months conditional sentence and restitution of the outstanding amount.

“Both the YMCA-YWCA and the Ottawa Police considered the misuse of these funds a serious breach of the public trust,” said lead investigator Cst. Gavin Morris, with the Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit. 

The matter is now considered resolved and the money has been repaid to the YMCA-YWCA. 

Purchase of pre-paid gift cards scam targeting businesses in Ottawa area

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, October 4, 2018      9:00am

(Ottawa) –The Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit is warning the community about a recent fraud that has been reported in the Ottawa area.  Employees at businesses, particularly those who are in administrative positions, have been receiving email messages that appear to come from the CEO of their company.  

The emails are asking the employee to purchase prepaid gift cards and to forward the number on the cards back to the supposed CEO.  The employee later finds out that it was not the CEO who has sent the email and that there is no balance remaining on the card.  

Upon closer examination of the original email, it is found not to have come from the CEOs email but from a very similar address that may only differ by one or two letters or by a slightly different domain name. 

The numbers off of the prepaid cards are then sold on the web and usually spent within minutes in foreign countries. 

Businesses are encouraged to maintain strict protocols for ordering and authorizing financial transactions by email.

The Ottawa Police Service Organized Fraud Unit is advising the public that are or have been victims of this scam to contact the Ottawa Police and make a report at 613-236-1222 ext. 7300 or online at ottawapolice.ca.

For more information on this and other frauds, please follow @FraudOttawa 

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa Police app.