IDENTITY THEFT IN OTTAWA

Ottawa is a hot spot for identify theft and credit card frauds. Accordingly, the Ottawa criminal courts have reflected this fact by imposing increasingly harsh sentences, even for first time offenders. The typical victims of these crimes often big box stores such as Walmart and Future Shop are becoming increasingly savvy with their anti-theft mechanisms. Not too long ago, the Crown would serve the criminal defence lawyer with a series of disclosure photos, each one blurrier than the last. In many instances, the perpetrators face could not be identified, and the lousy camera angles traditionally from high above were easily defeated by wearing a ball cap. This is no longer the case. The big-box stores are now equipped with security cameras angled upwards from the ground, to ensure a full facial image of a perpetrator wearing a hat low on their brow. Moreover, their staff are trained to vet the credit cards and stall the would-be thief whenever warning signs are apparent. More often than not, the accused is arrested at the scene of the crime, with the fake credit cards in hand. While the evidence available to the Crown in these cases is in general, becoming more viable, there are still defences available depending on the circumstances of the case. There are also a host of sentencing considerations that can be used to reduce a sentence from a custodial disposition, to a non-custodial disposition, even when multiple transactions and a moderate degree of sophistication is involved.