OPP arrest suspect in identity theft investigation in Hawkesbury

An OPP cruiser is pictured in this undated photo. (Source: OPP Central Region)

Ontario Provincial Police say one person has been arrested in connection with a suspected identity theft in Hawkesbury.

According to police, an individual went to a local bank to cash a cheque on March 12, but staff determined the person was using a fraudulent driver’s licence and froze the account.

The same person returned to the bank on March 25 and tried to withdraw money, police said. Bank staff called the OPP and the individual was arrested.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters

The 27-year-old from Montreal is charged with two counts each of identity theft, personation with intent, possession of an identity document, and possession of a forged document with intent.

The OPP says fraud has cost Canadians hundreds of millions of dollars.

“According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), Canadians reported losing over $704 million to fraud in 2025. In 2025, Canadians reported over 8,400 incidents of identity fraud, 3,100 incidents of personal information compromises and 2,800 phishing frauds. It is estimated that only 5-10 per cent report frauds to the CAFC.”

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Police say if you’ve been the victim of an identity fraud, consider placing flags on all of your accounts, change all of your passwords and report to Equifax and TransUnion.

You can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) if you’ve been the victim of a fraud. You can also report fraud or cybercrime to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online.