Timmins woman facing 69 fraud charges

A Timmins woman is facing 69 fraud-related charges following an investigation by the Timmins Police Service’s Criminal Investigation Section. The investigation began after a local agency noted financial irregularities and contacted police.

Investigation revealed that over the course of 2014, fraudulent activity had been committed against clients of the agency, who are individuals with special needs. During the time the fraudulent activity was taking place, the accused individual was employed as a supervisor with the group home.

The accused is believed to have defrauded the clients of the group home as well as the agency itself of approximately $50,000.

Helene NOEL, 47, of Timmins faces numerous charges including fraud over $5000, fraud under $5000, theft under $5000, fraudulent use of a credit card, forgery, uttering forged document, misappropriation of money held under direction, and possession of property obtained by crime.

She was released on a promise to appear in court with a return date scheduled for May 12, 2015.
March is Fraud Prevention Month, and there are steps that businesses and organizations can take to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

These include splitting duties such as payroll and bookkeeping between more than one person, reviewing the books often, and reporting all suspicious activity to police as soon as possible.