Local non-profits say fraudsters stole eTransfer donations
A Woodstock-area non-profit says it lost thousands of dollars in donations over the past month when fraudsters stole money destined for their bank account via eTransfer.
Harvest House Woodstock director Joel Demerchant posted the bad news on its Facebook page on Nov. 13, immediately after discovering the faith-based ministry became the target of scam artists more than a month earlier.
He said the non-profit discovered the ongoing fraud thanks to an alert client who noticed an unusual notation when making a rental payment by eTransfer.
Demerchant said a group from a Fredericton-based church, which has rented out the Harvest House Woodstock drop-in centre regularly, uncovered the potential problem while making its regular rental payment.
While the transfer included the regular Harvest House email, the group noticed a nonsensical name noting where the funds were payable.
They contacted Harvest House Woodstock, asking if Harvest House made any changes to their eTransfer information.
Given the heads up, Demerchant said they immediately looked into the situation, discovering the theft of eTransfers dated as far back as Oct. 4.
“We lost a month of payments,” Demerchant said, meaning the thieves helped themselves to thousands of dollars.
He said the thieves stole funds targeted to help some of the community’s most in need.
Harvest House Woodstock is a faith-based street-level ministry aimed at helping struggling community members with several services, including temporary shelter, meals, a drop-in centre, mentoring services, addiction programs, counselling and more.
Demerchant said he was thankful someone took the extra few minutes to check the details before making the payment.
He urged everyone making an eTransfer payment to do the same.
He said he reached out immediately to the credit union where Harvest House Woodstock banks,
“They’re digging into it,” Demerchant said.
He also called the Woodstock Police Force.
Sgt. Jeff Matthews of the Woodstock Police Force Street Crime Unit confirmed the police are investigating.
He said online payments, including eTransfers, are constant targets for scam artists. With AI and new technologies, online crime is becoming a more significant challenge for police at every level.
Demerchant said the eTransfer theft forced them to discontinue all their online financial transactions temporarily.
“We’re going to have to go through everything with a fine-tooth comb,” he said. “We hope there’s no spin-off effect.”
For the immediate future, Demerchant recommended Harvest House Woodstock supporters donate through Canada Helps, a secured online system that collects donations for charities.
Otherwise, he said, they can return to the days of cash and cheques.
Demerchant said the scam and theft hit his organization at the worst possible time, as Harvest House Woodstock was gearing up for winter.
“We were hoping to do more this winter,” he said.
Harvest House Woodstock is not the only Woodstock-area non-profit citing trouble with eTransfer donations.
The Carleton County Animal Shelter reported via social media on Nov. 19 that someone compromised its eTransfer, forcing its cancellation.
“If you have set up regular donations with our ccastreasurer email address please cancel as this email will no longer be in use or accessible for us,” the shelter posted.
In an update the following day, the shelter advised the public it set up a new eTransfer account.
