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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cerb-organized-crime-1.6241211
Organized crime 'knowingly and actively' exploited federal pandemic benefits: intelligence reports
FINTRAC not sure total amount of CERB/CEBA funds may have gone to organized crime
Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: November 12
The federal government spent billions of dollars on income supports to help Canadians weather the pandemic — but it appears these emergency benefits inadvertently went to criminals as well.
According to a recently obtained financial intelligence report, criminals and organized crime appeared to have "knowingly and actively" defrauded the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) and Canada emergency business account (CEBA) programs.
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), the country's financial intelligence wing, observed that during the first few months of the CERB program, criminal organizations filed multiple applications using stolen identities.
"They tend to hire groups of individuals to cash the benefit cheques at various locations around town," said the 2020 FINTRAC report, released through an access to information request filed by Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin.
"In one instance, the reporting entity indicated that social media was used as the means of recruitment of these people."
Launched in March, the CERB originally paid $2,000 a month to Canadians whose income took a hit due to the pandemic. The program paid out more than $74 billion before the government transitioned to paying Canadians through employment insurance...
Organized crime 'knowingly and actively' exploited federal pandemic benefits: intelligence reports
FINTRAC not sure total amount of CERB/CEBA funds may have gone to organized crime
Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: November 12
The federal government spent billions of dollars on income supports to help Canadians weather the pandemic — but it appears these emergency benefits inadvertently went to criminals as well.
According to a recently obtained financial intelligence report, criminals and organized crime appeared to have "knowingly and actively" defrauded the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) and Canada emergency business account (CEBA) programs.
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), the country's financial intelligence wing, observed that during the first few months of the CERB program, criminal organizations filed multiple applications using stolen identities.
"They tend to hire groups of individuals to cash the benefit cheques at various locations around town," said the 2020 FINTRAC report, released through an access to information request filed by Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin.
"In one instance, the reporting entity indicated that social media was used as the means of recruitment of these people."
Launched in March, the CERB originally paid $2,000 a month to Canadians whose income took a hit due to the pandemic. The program paid out more than $74 billion before the government transitioned to paying Canadians through employment insurance...