Toronto police have charged a Montreal woman who allegedly attempted to defraud the federal government’s Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program.
According to police, Karina Riel, 40, traveled to Toronto to open assorted bank accounts in order to defraud the CERB program.
Police say that Riel came to Toronto from Montreal “for the sole purpose of fraudulently making CERB applications.”
The government established the CERB program to provide income support to employees who have lost work due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Riel, who was arrested on June 11, was charged with fraud under $5,000, impersonation, forgery and identity theft.
The charges have not been proven. Police report that their investigation is ongoing.