8 People Charged in ‘Sophisticated’ CRA Identity and Cyber-Fraud Scheme: RCMP

Eight people have been charged in connection with an alleged cyber fraud exceeding $360,000 that targeted a federal benefit program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The RCMP launched an investigation in August 2020 into “a sophisticated fraud scheme involving networks of individuals” targeting the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program, the federal policing agency said in a May 20 press release.

CERB, a temporary federal funding initiative run by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), was designed to offer $2,000 per month to eligible workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investigators found that the suspects illegally accessed taxpayer accounts, modified banking details, and rerouted CERB payments into accounts they controlled, police said. Fraudulent claims linked to the accused totalled approximately $364,000.

“Cyber‑enabled fraud schemes targeting government benefit programs present complex and evolving challenges for law enforcement,” RCMP Central Region International Anti-Corruption Team Insp. Guy Michel Nkili said. “These crimes often transcend borders and require specialized investigative approaches to identify those responsible and disrupt their operations.”

The eight people facing charges are:

• Houssame Bennouna, 26, of Montreal
• Lagaud Paul Andre Bouabre, 26, of Gatineau, Que.
• Louis Henri Dacoury‑Tabley, 29, of Montreal
• Paul Harry Jayme, 39, of Montreal
• Kouakou Ange Patrick Elliams Kouassi, 31, of Gatineau, Que.
• Jospin Berol Mougang‑Tionjock, 28, of Montreal
• David Richard Thran, 25, of Ottawa
• Mory Ismael Toure, 36, of Gatineau, Que.

All the accused face charges of fraud over $5,000 and several have also been charged with possession of identity information with intent to commit an indictable offence.

The accused are scheduled to appear in court in Montreal on July 7.

The CRA said last December that it was owed more than $10.35 billion in COVID-19 benefits caused by overpayments or payments to ineligible people. The agency had disbursed $83.5 billion in COVID benefits to Canadians, including $45.3 billion through CERB, as of last November, it said.

The CRA started issuing recovery letters in 2023 to individuals with debts linked to benefits.

“Emergency benefits needed to be delivered extremely quickly to millions of Canadians, leading to an attestation-based application process beginning with the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB),” agency spokesperson Nina Ioussoupova has said. “Individuals were required to confirm they met the program eligibility criteria and were made aware that the CRA might verify this information at a later date.”

The CRA said it is taking “firm and responsible” measures against those who seek to avoid paying outstanding amounts.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.