Laval police arrested three individuals who allegedly participated in fraud totaling $8.9 million using data stolen from Desjardins, from September 2018 to January 2019. A fourth individual is wanted and an arrest warrant has been issued to against him.
The arrested individuals allegedly used Desjardins’ Accès D online platform to “fraudulently appropriate funds” using stolen data, explained Jean-François Rousselle, deputy director of criminal investigations. They could then have “dispersed the funds throughout Canada, the United States and around the world.”
He adds that the investigation did not make it possible to recover any embezzled sums.
Laval police mention that one of the suspects was in possession of a list of 1.6 million Quebecers.
The appearances are expected to take place today.
The main investigation into the theft of data at Desjardins itself was mainly carried out by the Sûreté du Québec from June 2019. However, it began at the Laval police, after bank draft fraud carried out using information stolen from Desjardins, starting in December 2018.
Laval investigators kept the parts of the operation focusing on a network of fraudsters who used the stolen information.
The announcement comes almost five years after the revelation of the massive data theft at Desjardins. On June 20, 2019, the Movement first announced that data on 2.9 million customers had been stolen. He then revised this figure upwards several times. In December 2020, privacy commissions concluded that the theft potentially affected 9.7 million individuals and businesses.
Until now, no criminal charges have been filed.
A former Desjardins employee, Sébastien Boulanger-Dorval, is suspected of having himself gotten his hands on data concerning millions of Desjardins customers. A private lender, Jean-Loup Leullier-Masse then bought them back, before retransmitting them.
More details to come.
