GTA Chapter News

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!

Toronto, Ontario: The ACFE-GTA Chapter announced today that all attendees to their Ethics Training Day on October 2, 2019 at the BMO Conference Centre (3550 Pharmacy Ave, Toronto, Ontario) will have their name placed in a draw to win one free registration to the 2019 ACFE Canadian Fraud Conference being held in Montreal, Quebec from October 20 to 23, 2019. The one lucky winner will be drawn at the Ethics Day event. The value of the prize is $1,425.00!

The 2019 Conference Agenda has now been finalized. Learn more here.

Updated September 20, 2019
Toronto, ON:

New Board of Directors
Effective October 2, 2019, following the Chapter's Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors, whose term runs from October 2, 2019 to September 30, 2023, will consist of the following volunteer members:

Colleen Basden
Dorian Dwyer
Penny Hill
Andrew Kautz
Jordan McManus
Mark McManus
Kathleen Watson
Ryan Duquette
Elodie Goncalves
Kyle Kanstein
Christine Stevens-Gopsill
Timothy Zimmerman
William Vasiliou (Immediate Past President)

Board Size
The Chapter Bylaws state that the Board can set the number of directors on the board; however, the requirement is for no less than three members. In early September, 2019, the current Board of Directors passed a resolution to define the size of the Board to be "no more than thirteen members."

The rationale of setting an upper limit for the board is the Chapter's need to benefit from a diversity of expertise, a depth of experience, and a breadth of organizational connections, so that we can continue to achieve our Core Purpose and Vision. Should the number of directors decrease from time-to-time, no further board resolutions will be required. The Board felt that going forward, a maximum of thirteen members would be the upper-limit for a manageable and effective board.

Nominee Vetting Process
As an established practice, the Chapter has a process whereby all potential nominees for the ACFE-GTA Chapter board of directors are interviewed by an executive officer of the Chapter before their nomination is finalized.

Usually, it is expected that a nominee will have been a volunteer with the Chapter for at least a year, either as a (non-board member) committee member or in another such role, before they are considered for a position on the board. This requirement, which is common practice among similar non-profit, professional organizations, allows the Chapter member to become familiar with the operations of the Chapter and the expectations of board members, as well as allows the Chapter executive to get to know the volunteer and their ability to contribute to the core purpose and vision of the Chapter. Where a potential nominee has not met that requirement, then they are first offered a non-board member role in the Chapter, say as a committee member.

Chapter Governance
Over the past few months, the current Board of Directors has been busy refreshing the governance structure of the Chapter. The Chapter Bylaws have been updated and approved by both the Board of Directors and the ACFE World Headquarters in Austin, Texas. Some of the important changes to the Bylaws include the updating of our name from the Toronto Chapter to the GTA Chapter (Greater Toronto Area); the clarification of election processes; the transitioning of the role of Director of Training to Senior Vice-President, Professional Development and the inclusion of that role as an officer of the Chapter; and the appointment of the Executive Vice-President (formerly the Chapter Vice-President) as the Chapter Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Technology Officer. The Board has also updated the Chapter's Core Purpose and Vision statements.

A number of new Chapter policies were approved, including an Anti-Corruption & Anti-Bribery Policy, a Privacy Policy, and a Technology & Administration Policy. The Board has developed and approved a Chapter Board Member Agreement, a Chapter Committee Member Agreement (for non-board committee members), and updated the Personal information Protection Agreement, as required by Canadian law. The Board has also approved position descriptions for board members, committee members (who are not board members), as well as all five officer roles.

You may read these documents on our website at: https://acfe-gta.com/page-1753329.

Election of the President and Officers

As per the Chapter Bylaws, at their first board meeting following the AGM on October 2, 2019, the new Board of Directors will elect a new president, who will be one of the thirteen board members. This secret ballot election process will be conducted by Bill Vasiliou, current Chapter President with the assistance of the new Chapter Administrator, Deborah Thompson. Bill will be transitioning to the role of Immediate Past President following the AGM. Bill will introduce the new President to those attending the Ethics Day Training seminar being held on October 2nd (starting at 9 am), following the AGM, at the BMO Conference Centre in Toronto.

Then, over the following week or so, the new President will compile a list of board members who have either self-identified or agreed to be appointed to officer roles (i.e., Executive Vice-President, Senior Vice-President, Professional Development, Secretary and Treasurer).

Also, the President may approach some directors to take on some non-officer roles, such as membership, professional association liaison, community outreach, or website support, mentorship & certification, etc.  The President will then present the list to the board for ratification at the next board meeting. Appropriate announcements will be made in due course, so make sure you watch this space for more news!!

Bill Vasiliou, the present ACFE-GTA Chapter President expressed his great pleasure with the response from Chapter members to serve on the board, when he recently said "We've been very lucky to have a strong set of candidates come forward to join the existing board members who have stood for re-election. We also have received interest from a couple of members to volunteer for the Chapter in non-board roles! I am excited about the Chapter's future as I transition to the role of Immediate Past President of the Chapter!"

Bill went on to say, "I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Astra Williamson and Ryan Watt for their long service on the board. Their passion, commitment, dedication, and contribution to the Chapter and the ACFE in general will be missed. However, we look forward to their continued support of the Chapter as members. Penny Hill is transitioning out of the Chapter Administrator role, a position she has held for a significant number of years, as she looks forward to a well-earned retirement. Penny has, in many ways, been the "bedrock" of our Chapter and we are grateful for her devotion to our work. Penny has decided to stay on as a director of the Chapter and we are thrilled to be retaining her expertise and knowledge as we move forward."

As a final comment, Bill expressed his thanks to Mark McManus, a member of the board and the Director of Mentorship & Certification, for the significant work that has been done in updating the Chapter's governance structure. "Mark led the effort to refresh our governance structure and we now have a solid foundation going forward. He covered a lot of ground and on behalf of the Board, I extend my sincere thanks for a great job."

About the ACFE
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) is the world's largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Together with more than 85,000 members, the ACFE is reducing business fraud world-wide and inspiring public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the profession. The mission of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners is to reduce the incidence of fraud and white-collar crime and to assist the Membership in fraud detection and deterrence. The ACFE-GTA Chapter is affiliated with the ACFE, and is registered as a Non-Share, Non-Profit entity under The Province of Ontario. The Chapter's primary purpose is to serve the Greater Toronto Area community in the promotion of improved fraud detection, education, prevention, and deterrence and through expansion of knowledge and the interaction of its members. You may contact the ACFE-GTA Chapter at admin@acfe-gta.com.

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