Two individuals are facing charges after a Cobourg Police Service investigation into identity fraud.
In September 2026, police launched a fraud investigation after a resident was notified by their financial institution of suspicious activity and learned their identity had been used without authorization.
Through investigation, officers determined that in July 2026, a female attended a financial institution in the Town of Cobourg and opened a bank account using forged identification. The same individual returned to the institution in August 2026 and applied for a credit card using additional fraudulent documents in the victim’s name.
On September 4, 2026, members of the Cobourg Police Service Uniform Patrol, with assistance from the Criminal Investigations Bureau and Street Crime Enforcement Unit, conducted a traffic stop involving a vehicle believed to be connected to the investigation.
A female passenger and the male driver were arrested without incident. During a search of the vehicle, officers located and seized additional forged documents, including bank records, a passport in the victim’s name, identification allegedly used to open the bank account, and a quantity of suspected opiates.
As a result of the investigation, a 56-year-old Pickering woman and a 44-year-old Hamilton man were each charged with Fraud Not Exceeding $5,000.
The Pickering woman was further charged with
• Identity Theft contrary to section 402.2(1) of the Criminal Code;
• Identity Fraud contrary to section 403 of the Criminal Code;
• Use, Act, or Deal in Forged Documents contrary to section 368(1)(a) of the Criminal Code;
• Forgery contrary to section 366 of the Criminal Code;
• Obtaining by False Pretenses contrary to section 362(2)(b) of the Criminal Code;
• Possession of Forged Passport contrary to section 57(1)(a) of the Criminal Code;
• Possession of a Schedule I substance – opiates – contrary to section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
• Possession of property obtained by Crime contrary to section 354(1)(a) of the Criminal Code
The woman was released on an undertaking with a future court date. The man was held for a bail hearing.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
