Woman, 22, faces 88 charges in fraud investigation

Woman, 22, faces 88 charges in fraud investigation

Vanessa Farrell, 22, of Oakville.

A young woman from Oakville faces 88 charges in connection with frauds committed in Toronto, Halton York and Peel Region.

Between March 2011 and September 2011, Toronto police allege the 21-year-old woman visited several financial institutions and, using false identification, impersonated account holders and obtained replacement debit cards.

The accused then withdrew funds totalling thousands of dollars from victims' accounts.

Police said the suspect was able to obtain personal information from victims using a phishing email and posing as a legitimate business.

Vanessa Farrell, of Oakville, faces charges including 22 counts of identity fraud and 18 counts of fraud over $5,000.

She is scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on Friday.

Police believe there may be more victims.

Police remind the public not to send personal and confidential information in response to unsolicited emails.