A 43-year-old woman has been charged with theft and fraud-related offences after an Edmonton charity was defrauded of more than $200,000.
The investigation stems back to October 2020, when police say the Alberta Foster and Kinship Association (AFKA) reported it had discovered their accountant was allegedly transferring funds from one the charity’s accounts to her personal accounts.
Police allege the transfers occurred between Nov. 8, 2019 and Oct. 26, 2020.
In a news release Tuesday morning, police said the employee did not show up for her shift when a financial audit was taking place at AFKA. This led the organization to discover the fraudulent activity.
The investigation by Edmonton police revealed money was allegedly e-transferred into multiple accounts registered and controlled by the employee. The total loss to the company was $209,000.
Police say AFKA has been fully cooperative throughout the investigation.
“We truly feel for them, as that’s the last thing you ever want to discover about an employee,” Const. Shawn Joseph said in a news release.
“We suggest organizations segregate their accounting functions and use a system of checks and balances to ensure no one person has control over multiple significant parts of a financial transaction.
“A piece of that includes technology; install computer security measures and understand these computer systems and software, and how they might be used to divert money or inventory. Restrict access to computer terminals and records, periodically change entry codes, and check regularly to ensure that security procedures are in effect.”
On Oct. 7, 2021, Brenda Rabie was charged with theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000.