GTA Chapter News

Toronto ON: The GTA Chapter is pleased to announce that registration for the annual FIT (Fraud Investigation Techniques) Conference, branded FIT 2020 this year, is now OPEN. The theme for FIT 2020 is "New & Emerging Trends in Fraud Investigations."

This is an annual conference that is presented in partnership with the Council of Professional Investigators of Ontario (CPIO), for all Certified Fraud Examiners from across Ontario (who can obtain CPE credits for attendance), all Professional Investigators in Ontario, as well as all those who are interested in learning more about emerging trends in fighting fraud and financial crime.

CPIO members must register on their website, and registration for CPIO members will be open in early February. More information for CPIO members can be found here.

There is an Early Bird registration rate - one for Chapter Members and one for Non-Chapter Members, which expires on March 20, 2020. If you are a CFE and have not yet joined the Chapter, you may first JOIN as a Chapter Member, and then register for FIT 2020 to obtain the Members-Only rate.

For more information, click on this link. To register, scroll down and click on the "Register" button.

Dear Chapter Members and all CFEs in the GTA,

It has been a very busy year at the ACFE-GTA Chapter! A new Board of Directors was elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on October 2, 2019. We had five existing board members stand for re-election and welcomed six new board members…rounding out the board to eleven members in total. At the first board meeting following the AGM, I, Dorian Dwyer, CFE was elected by the new Board to be President & Chief Executive Officer, succeeding William Vasiliou, CFE. Also, Ross Dunsmore of Dunsmore Law graciously volunteered to be Legal Counsel to the Board.

 As reflected in our updated logo, we renamed our Chapter to ACFE-GTA Chapter in an effort to reflect the domicile of our many members and to better represent all the CFEs in Greater Toronto. And…we have improved our online presence through a new website which we hope you will visit on a regular basis, as well as made a commitment to more regularly update our LinkedIn, Instagram, & Facebook pages! Keep those “Likes” coming! We have also updated  our Core Purpose and Vision Statements, and the Chapter Governance structure. We encourage you to become more familiar with how your Chapter operates.

Penny Hill, our Chapter Administrator since inception, retired this November, and Deborah Thompson has been hired as the Chapter’s new part-time administrator. Penny was presented with a special award by Bruce Dorris, CFE, President, ACFE at the 2019 Canadian Fraud Conference in Montreal. We are fortunate that Penny has agreed to remain as a Director for the foreseeable future!

Over the past year, we provided a series of professional development opportunities for CFEs in the GTA and beyond. Many of our events, including dinner meetings, the April FIT conference & the September Financial Fraud Workshop were sponsored in part by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). We extend very grateful thanks for their sponsorship and continued support.

We initiated the new year with a networking event in late January, hosted and sponsored by SAS Canada, at their offices on King Street East in Toronto. This event was well attended and we received very positive feedback on this less formal evening. Special thanks to SAS Canada for sponsoring this event, and to Ryan Duquette, CFE for arranging this evening on behalf of the ACFE-GTA Chapter.

In September, we conducted a two-day workshop entitled “Investigating and Managing Management Fraud,” which provided over 60 participants with 16 CPE credits.

We partnered again this April with the Council of Professional Investigators of Ontario (CPIO) in hosting our annual Fraud Investigation Techniques FIT Conference (known this year as FIT 4), which was a tremendous success and provided the attendees with 7 CPE credits.

And, in October, we sponsored our Ethics Training Day, where local CFEs could attain up to 4 Ethics CPEs – two of which can be carried-over to their next qualifying year. We were honoured to have speaking Larry Ritchie, former Vice-Chair of the Ontario Securities Commission and now Partner, Litigation with Osler, Ula Ubani, the Chief Ethics & Conduct Officer for BMO Bank of Montreal, Andrew Kautz, CFE, Manager, Special Investigations at Canada Life, and Mark McManus, Chief Solutions Officer at GHLC Inc. The Chapter plans on hosting a similar Ethics training event every two years.

Looking ahead to 2020, we have lots of activities planned, so remember to check out our new website on a regular basis. Of special note is the FIT 5 Conference that is planned for Tuesday April 2, 2020 at the BMO Institute for Learning, 3550 Pharmacy Avenue in Toronto. We will have more details and pricing information available early in the new year. And…the 2020 Canadian Fraud Conference will be held in Toronto at the Beanfield Centre from November 1st to 4th. Remember to mark these dates on your calendar now!

Also, if you are not already a member of the ACFE-GTA Chapter, we encourage you to join. Chapters play an important role in enhancing and furthering the anti-fraud profession, and in providing support to CFEs across their jurisdictions. We need your support to continue our work and the small fee paid to our Chapter is the only source of funding we receive.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the success of the Chapter over the past year, especially all of our volunteer board members who have donated much time, energy and effort to ensuring we have a robust and professional presence in the GTA. Thanks also to Bill Vasiliou, our Immediate Past President and to Penny Hill for their commitment and dedication.

In closing, on behalf of the Chapter, I extend, to all our Members and all CFEs in the GTA, my warmest wishes for a successful and joyous New Year.

Dorian Dwyer, CFE.

Toronto, Ontario

Recently, Ryan Duquette, a member of the incoming ACFE-GTA Chapter Board of Directors, and the recently appointed Senior Vice-President, Professional Development for the ACFE-GTA Chapter spoke with the CBC programme Marketplace as they investigated Tech-Support scams that are targeting Canadians.

Ryan said on his LinkedIn posting about the interview, "Education is a great method to reduce victimization and I hope this episode stops even one person from falling for this growing and popular scam. Kudos to the Marketplace team for their dedication and hard work in educating the public on scams and frauds." Ryan is a Partner with RSM Canada LLP in their Security, Privacy and Risk Consulting Practice.

Check-out the story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/tech-support-scam-india-marketplace-1.5298336

And check-out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGiznJMGM-0&feature=youtu.be

The ACFE-GTA Chapter held a very successful Ethics Training Day with over 60 participants on October 2 at the BMO Conference Centre on Pharmacy Avenue in Toronto. Mr. Dorion Dwyer, CFE, the incoming President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chapter, welcomed the delegates to the Ethics Training Day and wished them an enjoyable and informative day.

The pictures below are from the sessions lead by: (Picture #1 and #2) Lawrence Ritchie, Partner, Litigation at Osler who spoke on "The Ethical Entity", (Picture #3) Andrew Kautz, Manager, Special Investigations at Canada Life who spoke on "The Effectiveness of Workplace Ethics Training"and  (# Picture 4) Ula Ubani, Chief Ethics & Conduct Officer at BMO who spoke on "Managing Fear of Retaliation." Mark McManus (not pictured), the Chief Solutions Officer at GHLC Inc., a Toronto-based business advisory firm, was also a presenter. His session was titled "Where we Stand on Workplace Ethics at the End of 2019."

The over 60 participants included a group of 12 new Chapter Student Affiliate Members as guests of the ACFE-GTA Chapter. The students are enrolled in the Financial Examination and Forensic Accounting Post-Graduate Certificate Program at Seneca College in Toronto, and many are keen on obtaining their CFE designation. The students brought a renewed energy and spirit to the Ethics Training Day, and actively participated in all the discussions, and in some cases, brought a fresh perspective to the sessions. The Chapter has recently initiated a program to connect with and mentor students, and Seneca College in Toronto is the first institution we have approached. Eighteen students have registered as Chapter Student Affiliate Members so far!

Picture #5 shows Deborah Thompson (incoming Chapter Administrator) and Penny Hill (Chapter Board Member and Director, Association Liaison) at the Ethics Training Day registration desk. 

Toronto, Ontario:

The ACFE-GTA Chapter is pleased announce the election of Dorian Dwyer as their new President and Chief Executive Officer.

Dorian is a Senior Investigator/Provincial Offences Officer with the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board of Ontario (WSIB).  His current role is to investigate allegations of wrongdoing against the WSIB and lay charges where appropriate for violations under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.

Prior to joining the WSIB, he was a Police Officer with the Ontario Provincial Police for thirty-one years and was a member of the Anti-Rackets Branch for 14 years. He joined the OPP in 1985 and worked as a uniform officer in a variety of capacities and locations for 17 years before his transfer to Anti-Rackets Branch in 2003. There he investigated economic crime and corruption cases and in 2008 joined the Health Fraud Investigations Unit. In 2014 he became the Commander of that Unit. During his tenure in Anti-Rackets Branch he has investigated and/or case managed many major economic crime offences, corruption cases, and health fraud cases (including provincial offences) involving millions of dollars in losses.

The ACFE-GTA Chapter is pleased to announce that Jayrani Bungsy is the winner of the Registration to the 2019 Canadian Fraud Conference in Montreal this October 20 to 23. The prize was drawn at the ACFE-GTA Chapter Ethics Training Day, held today at the BMO Conference Centre. With a value of $1,425.00, the prize was provided to the Chapter by the ACFE in Austin, Texas. In the picture below, Jordan McManus, BA, CFE, a member of the ACFE-GTA Chapter Board of Directors is shown presenting Jayrani with her prize.

Toronto, Ontario

Bill Vasiliou, President, of the ACFE-GTA Chapter is pleased to announce that Ross Dunsmore, of Dunsmore Law, CP, has agreed to be appointed Counsel to the ACFE-GTA Chapter.

Ross obtained his Honours B.A. from McGill University in 1970 and his LL.B. from Queen's University in 1973. He joined Hicks Morley as their first law student in 1973 and was admitted to the bar in 1975.

Throughout his distinguished career, Ross has practiced exclusively management labour relations law and is well-known in that field. He developed specialties in change management, reorganization, amalgamations and contracting out issues. 

In 2006, Ross Dunsmore opened his own law practice, Dunsmore Law.  He continues to be a sought after lecturer across Ontario on Human Resource subjects. Ross is also Counsel to the Council of Professional Investigators of Ontario.

In announcing the appointment, Bill said, "We are thrilled to be able to welcome such an experienced and distinguished lawyer to the Chapter team."

Toronto, Ontario

William (Bill) Vasiliou, President of the ACFE-GTA Chapter is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has approved his recommendation that Mr. Julian Wong, BAFM, MAcc, CPA, CA, CFE join the Chapter Board of Directors. The appointment is effective immediately.

Mr. Wong, who recently begun volunteering for the Chapter, is currently with President's Choice Financial in the Investigations & Operational Risk Management area. Julian graduated from the University of Waterloo Honours Bachelors of Accounting and Finance (BAFM) Co-op Program and went on to complete his Master of Accounting (MAcc) degree at Waterloo. He has also earned his CPA, CA, and CFE designations.

Julian has workplace experience with the United Way of Greater Toronto, as well as PwC Canada. He was a Teaching Assistant for 3 years while at the University of Waterloo, and met the academic achievement required to be placed on the Dean's Honour List. Also, Julian has earned all three levels of The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (Bronze, Silver and Gold).

In commenting on the Board's ratification of the recommendation, Bill said, "I am thrilled to welcome Julian to the Board. His appointment will help to ensure an effective and efficient operation of the Chapter going forward, by ensuring we have an odd number of directors, and given the departure of our Treasurer some time ago, Julian is well-placed to fulfill that role when a new president is elected and the incoming board of directors assumes responsibility for the Chapter later this week."

The Chapter will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on October 2, 2019, at the BMO Conference Centre, 3550 Pharmacy Ave, Toronto, Ontario. The incoming board of directors will elect a new president at their first meeting following the AGM, and Bill Vasiliou will transition to the role of Immediate Past President.

The Chapter is hosting an Ethics Training Day following the AGM, which is now completely sold-out!

Toronto, ON:
The Eyeopener, one of Ryerson University's student newspapers approached the ACFE-GTA Chapter for clarification on MLM schemes and Pyramid schemes, and the Chapter was able to provide some information on what anyone should do when they are approached to invest money or participate in such schemes. You can read The Eyeopener article by clicking on the link below:

https://theeyeopener.com/2019/09/students-feel-targeted-by-multi-level-marketing-company/

It is important for anyone being approached to invest money in or participate in any such program or scheme – the students at local universities in this case -  to do their research before signing up for any such MLM schemes.

It is important to learn more about the company, their track record, and the products they are selling. One tool is to do an internet search with the name of individual who is approaching you, and another search on the company itself, and include words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” Also, look through several pages of the search results – don’t just look at the first page. It is also helpful to look for articles about the company in newspapers or magazines that report on or are supported by the specific market segment. Things to learn include:

• How long the company has been in business
• Whether the company has a positive reputation for customer satisfaction
• What the buzz is about the company and its products on blogs or websites
• Whether the company has been sued for deceptive business practices
• Whether the respective provincial ministry has any complaints about the company; however, a lack of complaints does NOT guarantee that a company is legitimate.

NEVER sign a contract and NEVER pay any money during their first or second meeting with these people. AND…NEVER rush into making a decision, no matter how lucrative or time-limiting the offer may be. Remember…if it sounds too good to be true, it will NOT end well for you!

• Obtain a copy of any agreement or contract in writing, and up-front.
• Understand what you are being asked to join…get the compensation structure, what your costs are going to be, reliable support for the marketing claims about how much money you can make; how to get out of the contract or obligations and what it will cost to leave.
• Avoid anything where the commission or reward for recruiting new “distributors” is more than the price of the products you are going to sell. This is a sure sign of a pyramid scheme!
• And finally… and get some legal advice BEFORE signing or agreeing to anything.
  
  In the case of the local university students, perhaps a Business Law professor or Marketing professor would share their thoughts over a cup of coffee.

Also, it is important to remember that you will most probably end up targeting your family and friends with these products or schemes.

And, with all the levels of promoters up-the-chain, the cost to the end-user could be significantly higher than if they purchased a similar product in a retail store or online, say at Amazon…Don’t alienate your family or friends…These things also tend not to end well.

The annual Canadian Association of Special investigation Units (CASIU) held their annual conference at the BMO Institute for Learning Conference Centre on Tuesday September 17, 2019...and the ACFE-GTA Chapter was there as a sponsor, along side the Council of Professional Investigators of Ontario (CPIO).

In the picture, ACFE-GTA Chapter President, Bill Vasiliou, is staffing our joint table with Peter Grace, the CPIO President. By all accounts, it was a great conference!