The Fifth Estate Season 51 Episode 1

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The Fifth Estate Season 51 Episode 1 #Cineva USA https://www.dailymotion.com/Cineva

Transcript

00:00He said, no, actually, these are criminal charges.

00:04We investigate the breach.

00:06Did you believe that the source of the information breach

00:09was your employer, Interior Health?

00:12100%.

00:12And a decade of denials from a B.C. government agency.

00:18What kind of gong show is this government running in Interior Health?

00:22Your role is to step in and investigate.

00:27I can't believe they just denied it.

00:29And we'll take you inside criminal networks,

00:32using the dark web to steal identities

00:34and steal from you, the Canadian taxpayer.

00:37I just want to ask you questions about the identities have.

00:41I just want to find out how you got those names

00:44that you could use with the stolen identity.

00:48I'm Mark Kelly.

00:50This is the Fifth Estate.

00:59This is British Columbia's rugged interior.

01:09A massive data breach has brought us here,

01:13leaving a trail of victims of fraud and identity theft.

01:17This could happen to you, and if it does,

01:21you may never even know.

01:23That's exactly what's happened to a nurse here in the town of Fernie.

01:27We've come to meet her.

01:32Leslie.

01:33Hi.

01:33I'm Mark Kelly.

01:34Hi, good to meet you.

01:35Nice to meet you.

01:36Can I come in?

01:36Come on in.

01:38Her name is Leslie Warner.

01:41Start at the beginning.

01:42What is this?

01:43This is the fraud file.

01:47Her odyssey began in 2021,

01:49when she discovered someone stole her personal information,

01:53her social insurance number,

01:55her date of birth,

01:56her home address,

01:57and then hacked into her Canada Revenue Agency account

02:00to file a bogus tax return in her name.

02:04I logged into my CRA account,

02:06and I noticed notice of assessments for returns I had not filed.

02:11My address had changed.

02:13My bank account had changed.

02:14And I just kept saying,

02:16oh, my God, this is bad.

02:18At one point, it was like,

02:20between CERB benefits,

02:23false tax returns,

02:24and the Alberta social services stuff,

02:27I guess made like,

02:29probably around 30 grand,

02:31I would say, was taken under my name.

02:33Wow, they stole with your name.

02:35In one way or another, yeah.

02:35They stole from the Canadian taxpayer,

02:37but in your name.

02:38Before anybody stopped anything.

02:40Yeah.

02:41Earlier this year,

02:43a Fifth Estate investigation revealed multiple cases of imposters

02:46hacking into people's CRA accounts,

02:49filing bogus tax returns,

02:51and defrauding Canadian taxpayers.

02:54About a month, a month and a half away from losing my house.

02:58What we didn't know then

03:00was how the criminals were getting people's private information,

03:03and how so many were getting away with it.

03:06Then we got a tantalizing tip,

03:12an email from someone who claimed

03:14they knew this breach was bigger than we ever imagined,

03:17with tens of thousands of potential victims.

03:19Dear CBC Fifth Estate team,

03:23as an ex-criminal who was involved in similar activities in the past,

03:28I now want to help others and right my wrongs.

03:31I wish to remain anonymous,

03:34but I believe the details I have could be crucial to your investigation.

03:38That investigation revealed the CRA was duped by an imposter

03:46using the name and social insurance number of a BC woman named Heidi Gurman

03:50to get their fake tax refund.

03:59So last year, we found the real Heidi Gurman

04:02tending bar at Jimmy's Pub in the town of Preston.

04:06Then we have also from Stanley Park,

04:09which is from Vancouver, the Amber Ale.

04:11She had no idea who her imposter was,

04:14but she did know the CRA was now demanding

04:17that she pay back the money stolen in her name.

04:20What do you want to know?

04:23Do you want to know who's responsible for this?

04:27Yeah, I would love to know who's responsible

04:29because I'd actually really love to know

04:31how to get my identity back.

04:35How to get my identity back.

04:38This was an opening for Anonymous

04:40to prove how Gurman's identity was stolen

04:43and that they were an ally in our investigation.

04:46I've attached one of the identities as proof

04:49that this tip is legitimate and not a false claim.

04:54Sincerely, Anonymous.

04:57And there it was.

05:00Heidi Gurman's personal information,

05:03her social insurance number,

05:04her middle name, her phone number,

05:06her date of birth, her home address.

05:08And it seemed they had plenty more information to share.

05:15Please feel free to contact me back at this email address.

05:26This Kelowna nurse knew nothing about Anonymous,

05:29but we'd soon learn Anonymous had a connection to her.

05:33My name's Ashley Stone.

05:34I've been employed as a registered nurse since 2009 at Interior Health

05:38and I first discovered my identity was stolen in 2014.

05:42Interior Health is proud to be one of the top 100 places to work in Canada.

05:46The BC Health Authority boasted it was named

05:49one of Canada's top employers for 2025 on its YouTube site.

05:55With 29,000 employees,

05:57IH, as it's known, is one of the biggest employers in the region.

06:01Everyone is committed to making this an organization

06:04where people want to join, grow and stay.

06:07We are Interior Health.

06:13Stone's daughter, now eight years old,

06:16wasn't even born when her mother's nightmare began.

06:19Like fellow nurse Leslie Warner, Stone has her own fraud file.

06:24What's this?

06:26This is everything that I've been dealing with for the past 10 years.

06:3010 years.

06:31Yeah.

06:31So where did it, how did it all begin?

06:33Someone had used Stone's name to take out credit cards

06:37at Canadian Tire, PC Financial, Future Shop, Best Buy,

06:42TD Bank and others,

06:43and then started racking up the bills.

06:47You can see this file is ridiculous.

06:50Just the amount of damage that they did in those first couple weeks

06:54took months and months to clear

06:57and I've been dealing with it ever since.

06:59When Stone told her colleagues about being a victim of fraud,

07:03she discovered it wasn't just her

07:05and that revealed a critical clue.

07:08It seemed their imposters had obtained

07:10all of their social insurance numbers.

07:14My mom was very stringent saying,

07:16never give your social insurance number to anybody.

07:19In 2014, did you believe that the source of the information breach

07:24was your employer, Interior Health?

07:27100%.

07:27Why were you so convinced?

07:29Because I haven't given my information out to anybody else.

07:34Nurse Tracy Maxfield worked on a different ward

07:36of the Kelowna General Hospital

07:38when a bank contacted her

07:40about credit card bills she knew nothing about.

07:43So she says she contacted IH about a possible data breach.

07:48Vehemently denied it.

07:50Absolutely impossible.

07:51We have a state-of-the-art system.

07:53But how would they know it wasn't a data breach

07:56from Interior Health

07:57if they hadn't even launched an investigation

07:59to conclude that?

08:00Well, exactly, but it was dismissed immediately.

08:02Immediately?

08:03Immediately.

08:04So if executives at Interior Health were denying it,

08:08Maxfield decided to take matters into her own hands.

08:11She says she warned her colleagues directly

08:13about a possible data breach.

08:16Tracy, why are you sending an email out

08:18to warn your colleagues about it?

08:20Because it wasn't dealt with.

08:23I was actually reprimanded for sending the email

08:26because it was not my business to do that.

08:30Who reprimanded?

08:31You're reprimanded by someone?

08:33By management.

08:35Stone also warned the health authority

08:37about a possible breach

08:38and was met with a firm denial.

08:42There is no evidence to suggest IH is at fault.

08:46Had we had a large breach,

08:47it would be perceived that we would be seeing

08:50and hearing of thousands of employees' positions

08:52being impacted.

08:55This is not the case.

09:00So she fired back.

09:02While IH may not be convinced

09:04that they are the root of this breach, I am.

09:08My tolerance level is reaching a breaking point.

09:10I just felt using nowadays terms very gaslit

09:16by the whole situation

09:18and I just felt I was banging on the wall.

09:24In fact, the Fifth Estate has learned

09:26multiple nurses and medical workers

09:28across the B.C. interior

09:29began reporting their stolen identities

09:32to the health authority as far back as 2011.

09:35pockets of victims in Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna,

09:39Nelson, and Creston.

09:41At least two dozen cities and towns.

09:45And yet IH remained firm in its position.

09:47If there was a data breach,

09:49it didn't come from them.

09:51So this is crazy.

09:53This doesn't happen by accident.

09:55That's what I am dumbfounded by.

09:58How could they not believe these individuals?

10:00We took the nurses' complaints to Anne Kavoukian,

10:04who served as Ontario's Privacy Commissioner

10:06for 17 years.

10:09What is the role of an institution

10:11like Interior Health at that point?

10:13Their role is to step up

10:15and get their staff to examine

10:18all of those cases,

10:20to look under the hood, if you will.

10:22How did those cases arise?

10:25I can't believe they just denied it.

10:27But those nurses finally found an ally

10:35here in Trail, B.C.

10:37At the local RCMP detachment,

10:39a constable named Stuart Ward

10:41was new to the force.

10:42And one day,

10:43a stolen identity case

10:45landed on his desk.

10:47And one of the front counter staff

10:49had put a report on there

10:50saying so-and-so had come in.

10:53They had a credit card

10:54from a store in their name.

10:55They hadn't applied for it.

10:56They didn't know anything about it.

10:58And then she concluded it with,

11:00coincidentally,

11:01this is the third hospital employee

11:03in the last few months

11:04who's had this complaint.

11:07And I thought,

11:07that's not a coincidence.

11:10So Ward widened his search,

11:12looking up all recent fraud complaints

11:14filed with the RCMP

11:16in B.C.'s Interior in 2014.

11:18He called one of the victims.

11:20It was Ashley Stone.

11:22So he called me in 2015.

11:25I was at work at the time.

11:27And he asked me

11:29who my employer was.

11:31And I said,

11:32Interior Health

11:33and the pause.

11:35And I kind of pressed him

11:36a little bit more

11:37and said,

11:37is this through,

11:38like,

11:38is this all connected

11:39through Interior Health?

11:41And again,

11:42keeping his cards

11:42very close to his chest,

11:44kind of said,

11:44you're not the only one.

11:45At the end of it,

11:47I think I got up to

11:48either just shy of

11:49or just over 100 files.

11:50And every single one of them

11:52was an Interior Health employee

11:53with the exception of one.

11:56Okay.

11:56But 99% of them

11:58Interior Health employees,

11:59invariably.

12:01What did that suggest to you?

12:03It suggested to me

12:04that Interior Health

12:04had a data breach.

12:07So Ward says

12:08he contacted IH

12:09expecting they'd do something,

12:11he wasn't sure what,

12:12to help the stolen identity victims.

12:15That's beyond me.

12:17I'm just interested

12:18in trying to help

12:19those victims

12:20and see if I can't arrest

12:21the person who's used it.

12:23And he didn't stop there.

12:24Ward says

12:25he also contacted

12:26the office of

12:27BC's Privacy Commissioner

12:28in Victoria

12:29after realizing

12:30this case

12:31was much bigger

12:32than one cop's

12:33small town investigation.

12:36He said,

12:36everyone on this list

12:37is an Interior Health employee.

12:41And that's as far

12:43as that went.

12:43I never got

12:44another callback

12:45from the

12:46BC Privacy Commissioner's office.

12:48What did you expect

12:49the BC Privacy Commissioner's office

12:51would do?

12:52In my mind,

12:52I thought,

12:53well,

12:53they're going to call

12:54Interior Health

12:54and say,

12:55why did you lose

12:55all this data?

12:56You are responsible for it.

12:58So the Privacy Commissioner

12:59has the power

13:01and the mandate

13:02to be able to do that.

13:03Absolutely.

13:03When I was Privacy Commissioner,

13:04I did that many times.

13:06But the answer

13:06that they got

13:07from the Privacy Commissioner

13:08in BC was,

13:09there's nothing more

13:10we can do.

13:11But that's absurd.

13:12You don't just ask.

13:13You go in

13:14and investigate.

13:15You go in

13:16to Interior Health

13:17and you say,

13:17man,

13:18look at your records.

13:20Soon after,

13:21Ward moved

13:21to an RCMP detachment

13:23in northern BC

13:24and his investigation

13:25was closed.

13:27He's since left

13:27the force.

13:28But the case

13:29of the Interior Health

13:30employees

13:30has haunted him

13:32ever since.

13:33It bothers me

13:34that nobody did anything

13:35initially

13:35when all of these people

13:36came forward

13:37and said,

13:37this is this problem

13:38I'm having.

13:38I think about this

13:39constantly

13:40because they're going

13:41to have this

13:42for the rest of their life.

13:44When we come back,

13:46victims are silenced

13:47as the denial machine

13:49kicks into high gear.

13:50I was basically told

13:51that we can't,

13:53if you go public,

13:53we can't help you.

13:54We can't make sure

13:55that you still have

13:55a job after this.

14:05Welcome

14:06to Royal Inland Hospital.

14:07For years,

14:09BC's Interior Health Authority

14:10has used PR campaigns

14:12like this

14:13to promote a reputation

14:14as a socially responsible

14:16government agency.

14:18I'm here to announce

14:19that for the ninth time,

14:20we have been chosen

14:21as one of BC's top employers.

14:23And when IH needed a nurse

14:25to be the public face

14:26of a community vaccination campaign,

14:29who did they turn to?

14:30If you're a parent

14:31in BC's Interior

14:32and you've skipped

14:33some of your children's

14:33immunizations,

14:34don't skip this.

14:35As a public health nurse

14:37and a moment...

14:37While Ashley Stone

14:38was shooting this

14:39public service video,

14:40she was still dealing

14:41with the fallout

14:42from her identity theft.

14:44So she says

14:45she turned to her union

14:46for support.

14:48I wanted to go public

14:49and I had heard previously

14:51of colleagues being reprimanded

14:52for saying anything negative

14:54about the employer publicly.

14:56I was basically told

14:57that we can't...

14:58If you go public,

14:59we can't help you.

15:00We can't make sure

15:01that you still have a job

15:01after this.

15:02And which has helped

15:04sort of keep a lid

15:05on the size and the scope

15:07and the damage

15:08of this whole security breach.

15:10Yeah.

15:11So many people

15:11are still nervous.

15:12I just ran into a friend

15:13the other day

15:13and she's like,

15:14I need this job

15:16and I'm so afraid

15:18that if I say anything

15:18I won't have one.

15:21It takes just a quick drive

15:23around Stone's

15:23Kelowna neighbourhood

15:24to realise the impact

15:26this data breach has had

15:27on healthcare workers in B.C.

15:30My neighbour right down there,

15:32she found out

15:34just a week ago or so

15:38that she was the victim

15:39of identity theft.

15:41Definitely a few people

15:42who live up there

15:43have been victims

15:44of identity theft.

15:45I also have one friend

15:48who just lives up

15:49on this corner here.

15:51So it's not that we all

15:52live in the same neighbourhood,

15:54it's just that there's

15:54so many of us.

15:56Which raises the question,

15:58how did Interior Health

15:59keep the lid on this

16:00for so long?

16:03Back in 2017,

16:05the RCMP made a breakthrough

16:06in the case.

16:08The Mounties turned up documents

16:09in two unrelated arrests

16:11in B.C.'s lower mainland

16:12with the personal information

16:14including names

16:15and the social insurance numbers

16:17of 500 current

16:19and former IH employees.

16:23This would be a turning point

16:25for Interior Health.

16:26For years,

16:27the Health Authority

16:27had been admonishing

16:29its own employees

16:30for believing

16:30there'd been a data breach.

16:31and now it appeared

16:33IH had a major problem

16:35on its hands.

16:36But that's when

16:37the denial machine

16:38kicked into high gear.

16:42The Health Authority said

16:43an IT consultant's report

16:44concluded there was a breach

16:46but it was limited

16:48to those 500 names

16:49and found no evidence

16:51of further breaches.

16:53IH insisted

16:54this was reassuring.

16:56No mention

16:57of all the other cases

16:58that known about for years.

17:00We asked the Health Authority

17:02for a copy

17:02of the consultant's report.

17:04Our request was denied.

17:07What message

17:08does this send

17:09to the fraudsters themselves?

17:12Keep at it.

17:15You're free and clear

17:16to continue doing

17:18what you're doing.

17:20See, that's what

17:21I find appalling

17:22to come out

17:22with that kind of statement.

17:23I don't even know

17:24how anyone could make

17:25a statement like that.

17:27So self-assured.

17:30Three years

17:30after Interior Health

17:32said it was reassuring

17:33there was no evidence

17:34of a widespread breach

17:35an imposter took over

17:36the CRA account

17:37of Fernie nurse

17:38Leslie Warner.

17:40Her fraudster went

17:41to an H&R Block office

17:42in Alberta

17:43to cash in

17:44a fake tax return

17:45and then...

17:46They had made

17:48three children's birth certificates

17:50under my name,

17:52me being the mother

17:53and they were claiming

17:54Alberta Social Services.

17:57Tax benefits

17:58or child benefits.

18:00Yeah, child benefits

18:01with my identity.

18:03And even then,

18:04her problems

18:04weren't over yet.

18:06Far from it.

18:07I got a call

18:08that the RCMP

18:10had some papers

18:10to serve me.

18:12I met the RCMP

18:13at my house here

18:14and I said,

18:16oh, have I been called

18:17for jury duty?

18:18And he said,

18:19no, actually,

18:20these are criminal charges.

18:23She was taken

18:24to the local RCMP detachment

18:26where the Mounties

18:27snapped her mugshot,

18:28took her fingerprints

18:29and explained

18:30she was being charged

18:31for crimes in Alberta.

18:34I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

18:35It's a complete nightmare.

18:37And who's your advocate?

18:38Who's standing up

18:39and fighting for you?

18:39No one.

18:41There's nobody.

18:43And our investigation

18:44has revealed

18:45Warner was just one

18:47of many interior health victims

18:48who had their CRA accounts

18:50hacked through

18:51H&R Block locations

18:53in Alberta.

18:56Criminal networks

18:57in cities and towns

18:59across Alberta

19:00were also taking out

19:01fraudulent credit cards

19:02and car loans

19:03from Edmonton

19:04to White Court,

19:05Red Deer to Lethbridge.

19:07But how did they get a hold

19:09of so many names

19:10from British Columbia?

19:11And that's when our source

19:15we're calling Anonymous

19:16dropped a bombshell.

19:18He sent us a spreadsheet

19:19with the stolen

19:21personal information

19:22of 28,000 people

19:24living in B.C.'s interior.

19:26Names,

19:27social insurance numbers,

19:28birthdates,

19:29phone numbers.

19:3028,000 people.

19:32That's enough to fill

19:33this Kelowna hockey rink

19:34four times over.

19:36And Anonymous pointed

19:40the finger straight

19:41at Interior Health.

19:44The list I provided

19:45was compiled

19:46from Interior Health

19:47in British Columbia

19:48and it was obtained

19:49through a data leak

19:50years ago.

19:52This information

19:52has been sold

19:53and distributed

19:54to thousands of people

19:55over the past

19:56five to six years.

19:59As we scoured the list

20:00we found

20:01some familiar names.

20:03Leslie Warner,

20:05Ashley Stone,

20:06and Tracy Maxfield.

20:10In fact,

20:11every person

20:11we contacted

20:12on that list

20:13was a current

20:14or former employee

20:15of B.C.'s

20:16Interior Health Authority.

20:22So we returned

20:23to Creston

20:24and Jimmy's Pub.

20:25Heidi Gurman

20:26told us last year

20:27she wanted to know

20:28how her identity

20:29was stolen.

20:30Now we had an answer.

20:32So after our story aired,

20:34somebody got in touch

20:36with us

20:36who said,

20:38I know how

20:40Heidi Gurman's identity

20:41was stolen.

20:42Like my name?

20:43Yes.

20:44What?

20:45He singled you out

20:46specifically.

20:47Yeah.

20:48Huh.

20:49That's...

20:50Okay, that's creepy.

20:51And sent us a screenshot

20:53that of a list

20:56that he had bought

20:58on the dark web.

21:00We showed her

21:01the list

21:01we were leaked

21:02by Anonymous

21:02and it hit

21:04close to home

21:04for Gurman

21:05who'd worked

21:06as a drug

21:07and alcohol

21:07counsellor

21:08for Interior Health

21:09back in 2008.

21:11Yeah, there you are.

21:12Yeah, you're not

21:12the only Gurman.

21:14No, Natalie is my sister,

21:15Esther is my sister,

21:17Judy and Calvin

21:17are my parents.

21:20So why would

21:21all of their names...

21:22We all worked

21:22for Interior Health.

21:23You all worked

21:24for Interior Health.

21:25We all worked

21:25for Interior Health.

21:26And you're all

21:26on this list.

21:28Yeah.

21:28Bingo.

21:33For five tumultuous years,

21:34Leslie Warner

21:35also had no idea

21:37how her identity

21:38was stolen

21:38until we told her.

21:40So that was

21:41crazy news to hear.

21:43So that is frustrating

21:44and it's frustrating

21:46that as each month

21:47passes,

21:48there's probably

21:49more victims

21:51that it's actively

21:52happening to

21:53and yeah,

21:55I just don't know

21:56when it'll stop.

21:57When we come back,

21:59we go on the hunt

22:00for the imposters.

22:01My name's Mark Kelly

22:03with CBC Television.

22:05Fit to State.

22:08Good morning.

22:19I'm Chris Walker

22:19in Kelowna.

22:20This is Daybreak

22:21on CBC Radio 1.

22:23If you were in

22:24B.C.'s interior

22:25this spring,

22:26it was hard to miss

22:27an emerging scandal

22:28that some say

22:29had been buried

22:30for a decade.

22:31New developments

22:32this morning

22:32in that Interior Health

22:33data breach

22:34that we told you

22:34about back in April.

22:36The personal information

22:37of thousands

22:37of Interior Health

22:38employees stolen

22:40and then sold

22:41via the dark web

22:42to identity thieves.

22:43Fifth to State's

22:44Mark Kelly

22:45is on the line

22:46from Creston

22:46this morning

22:47where he's been

22:47speaking with

22:48some victims

22:48of stolen identity.

22:50Good morning, Mark.

22:51Chris, good morning.

22:53We're talking about

22:53social insurance number,

22:56you know,

22:56phone numbers,

22:57address,

22:59you know,

22:59the information

22:59that can be used

23:00for identity theft.

23:02So that's one concern

23:03that's being raised

23:04by some of the employees

23:05there.

23:06And their concerns

23:07go back, Chris,

23:08more than a decade.

23:11And Mark,

23:12you'll be in Kelowna

23:13later today

23:14hoping to talk

23:14with more

23:15Interior Health employees.

23:16Safe travels.

23:17Thanks so much, Chris.

23:18Now, in the meantime,

23:19if you've been affected

23:20by that data breach

23:22at Interior Health,

23:23Mark and the rest

23:23of the team

23:24at the Fifth Estate

23:25would like to hear

23:25from you.

23:26My name is

23:35Andrea Harris.

23:36My name is

23:37David Lechrist.

23:37My name is

23:38Shandra Hauer.

23:39My name is

23:40Sheldon Ambler.

23:41My name is

23:41Laura Buston.

23:42My name is

23:42Kathleen Reimer.

23:43My name is

23:44Randy Johnson.

23:45You're all going

23:46through this.

23:48What do you want

23:49them to know?

23:50And show up

23:50they did.

23:51An informal town hall,

23:53hospital employee

23:54after hospital employee.

23:56I realized my identity

23:58was stolen in early 2023.

24:01I was a victim of fraud

24:02in 2022.

24:04It was two years ago,

24:05the first time

24:06my identity was stolen

24:07and once again last week.

24:09I had my identity

24:10stolen in 2021.

24:12It was October of 2022

24:14that I realized

24:15my identity had been stolen.

24:18Randy Johnson said

24:19his identity was used

24:20at least 10 times

24:22to take out credit cards

24:24and buy jet skis.

24:26At one point

24:27I was under

24:27underwater

24:28about $170,000.

24:30We had a bailiff

24:31at our house

24:32telling my wife

24:34and I

24:35at the front door

24:36early on a Sunday morning

24:37that they were

24:38going to take our house,

24:40that I had

24:41the wave runners,

24:42he knew I had

24:43the wave runners,

24:44and my debt

24:45was never going

24:46to go away

24:46and they were going

24:47to take all our assets.

24:49I had a full list

24:50of credit cards

24:51all taken out,

24:52over $20,000

24:53all in my name.

24:56So, yeah.

24:57It was,

24:58and I was a,

24:59I was a newly

25:00single parent

25:01so it was really tough

25:04because you're,

25:04you're navigating

25:06being a single mom

25:07with two kids

25:08and then this.

25:09So, it was,

25:11it was really tough.

25:12Somebody took its soul

25:12on you?

25:13Mm-hmm.

25:14When I filed

25:15the police report,

25:15the police said,

25:16well, do you work

25:17for Interior Health?

25:17I said, yeah.

25:18It was awful.

25:19Like, you know,

25:19I, I worked my buns off

25:22to get to where I am.

25:24I have excellent credit

25:25and someone just came

25:27and stole that

25:28all the way from me.

25:29You know,

25:2920 years of hard work,

25:31basically.

25:32The biggest one

25:33is the CRA fraud

25:34where they had

25:35completely accessed

25:36my CRA account

25:38through an ancient

25:39or block in Calgary.

25:40How much was it?

25:41Do you remember?

25:41It's in the 30s.

25:42$30,000.

25:43They say I owe them

25:45in O taxes.

25:46Did Interior Health

25:47tell you

25:48that your identity

25:49been stolen?

25:50They never told me no.

25:52It's scary.

25:53Like, it's a,

25:53it's a very scary feeling

25:55to know that there

25:56could be debt out there

25:57in my name

25:58that I'm going to have

25:59to fight to prove

26:00that it's not me.

26:02And do you feel

26:02anyone's helping you

26:03in your fight?

26:04Nobody's helping me.

26:06No.

26:06You trust your employer.

26:08Like, we work

26:09in a health authority,

26:10so patient confidentiality

26:12is absolute most important.

26:14You expect your employer

26:15to do the same

26:16with your information.

26:18with statements

26:18within two minutes.

26:20And the anger spread

26:21from the B.C. interior

26:22to the B.C. capital.

26:24The Fifth Estate

26:25found that the stolen

26:26identities taken

26:28from Interior Health

26:29employees

26:29have been used

26:31for fraudulent

26:33CRA refunds

26:35and loans.

26:37The B.C. conservatives

26:38demanded answers

26:39about a health authority

26:41plagued with problems.

26:42What kind of gong show

26:44is this government

26:45running in Interior Health?

26:47You can't get a doctor

26:48or count on an ER room,

26:50but if you're a nurse,

26:51you can now count

26:53on your information

26:54being stolen.

26:56This government

26:57takes the privacy

26:58of information

26:58incredibly seriously,

27:00as do the health authorities.

27:02So who are these impostors?

27:06We got back in touch

27:07with Anonymous,

27:08the self-proclaimed

27:09ex-criminal

27:10who leaked us the list.

27:12According to Anonymous,

27:14the list was likely

27:14stolen in 2009

27:16and later posted for sale

27:18on the dark web.

27:18I first obtained it

27:20in 2017.

27:22This information

27:23has been sold

27:24and distributed

27:25to thousands of people.

27:27$15 a name

27:29or $1,000

27:30for the whole list.

27:32Anonymous said

27:33there are tutorials

27:34on the dark web

27:35for how to use

27:36the stolen names,

27:37but by invitation only.

27:39It's a closed loop

27:41of criminals

27:42and the only way

27:43to get in

27:44is to be vouched for

27:45by another member.

27:48We wanted to find

27:49the members

27:50of this criminal operation.

27:52We searched the fraud files

27:53of three victims,

27:55Heidi Gurman,

27:56Leslie Warner

27:57and a former IH employee

27:59from Salmon Arm

27:59who wanted to keep

28:01her identity confidential.

28:06In her file,

28:07we discovered

28:08an address

28:08in rural Alberta

28:09used to apply

28:10for credit cards

28:11in her name.

28:12So we headed

28:13to the small community

28:14of Sylvan Lake.

28:16Our online digging

28:19led us to this

28:20Facebook post

28:21belonging to someone

28:22named Nicole Rae Armstrong.

28:25She was charged

28:25with possessing

28:26identity documents

28:27belonging to three

28:28Interior Health employees.

28:31The charges were withdrawn

28:32for procedural reasons.

28:34Armstrong now faces

28:3521 new criminal charges,

28:3718 of them fraud-related.

28:40We wanted to talk to her.

28:41Okay, there's nobody here.

28:53Or if there's somebody

28:54that would be made.

28:56But it seems

28:57she didn't want

28:58to talk to us.

28:59So we followed up

29:01with a phone call.

29:02Hello?

29:03Hi there.

29:04Can I speak to Nicole, please?

29:06Uh, yeah.

29:08Hello?

29:09Hi there.

29:10Is this Nicole?

29:14Why do people

29:15always hang up on me?

29:23We then went looking

29:24for Leslie Warner's

29:25imposter,

29:26the Fernie nurse

29:27who was charged

29:28with crimes

29:28committed in her name.

29:31This little bungalow

29:32in Edmonton

29:33played a key role

29:34in Leslie Warner's

29:35identity theft.

29:36The Canada Revenue Agency

29:38had this listed

29:39as her address.

29:40She was also named

29:41as the director

29:41of a bogus company

29:43that was supposedly

29:44headquartered here.

29:46We don't know

29:46her imposter's real name,

29:48but this is the fake ID

29:50police told Warner

29:51they used to get

29:52fraudulent child tax benefits.

29:54But when we showed up,

30:06the house was empty.

30:08Sounds empty.

30:09Leslie Warner's

30:10imposter long gone.

30:12We then went to track

30:13down Heidi Gurman's

30:14imposter,

30:15the bartender

30:16from Creston, B.C.

30:18We obtained

30:18a credit card statement

30:20used by the imposters

30:21to scam this restaurant.

30:22We obtained CCTV footage

30:25and there she was.

30:27We've identified the woman

30:28as Christina Chirpak.

30:29She has a lengthy

30:30criminal record

30:31including charges

30:32of identity theft.

30:35Then we got a break.

30:37Turns out she had

30:38a court date

30:38in Edmonton.

30:39So we went to

30:40the courthouse

30:41to find her.

30:43Hey, Christina.

30:44My name's Mark Kelly.

30:45I'm CBC Television.

30:47I'm 50th state.

30:48Chirpak's appearance

30:49had changed

30:50since we revealed

30:50her identity

30:51in our last documentary.

30:52I just want to ask you

30:54questions about

30:55the identity theft.

30:57I just want to find out

30:58how you got those names

31:00that you could use

31:01with the stolen identity.

31:04Christina,

31:04what will you say

31:05to the victims

31:05who've had their lives

31:06turned upside down?

31:08Christina,

31:09you can't just

31:09walk away from this.

31:11Chirpak never uttered

31:12a word

31:13in her own defence.

31:18Hi.

31:19Nice to see you again.

31:20Yeah, you too.

31:21Back in Creston,

31:23we showed Heidi Germann

31:24the footage of our encounter

31:25with Christina Chirpak.

31:28Shortly after this,

31:29she gets in a cab

31:30and drives away.

31:32Yeah.

31:33And essentially,

31:34she's free,

31:36walking free.

31:37Yeah.

31:37You're still trying

31:38to rebuild

31:40your name.

31:42Yeah.

31:42What would you want

31:43someone like Christina

31:44to know

31:45about the consequences

31:47of her actions?

31:51I think the biggest thing

31:52is, yeah,

31:55there's real people

31:56behind these names

31:57and these numbers

31:58and these identities, right?

32:00Do you think

32:00that Interior Health

32:01has taken this seriously?

32:03Well, I've never heard

32:04from them,

32:04so I don't even think

32:05they know.

32:06So, no, I don't.

32:09B.C.'s Interior Health Authority

32:13continues to take

32:14no responsibility

32:15for the security breach,

32:17refuses to apologize

32:18to its frontline workers

32:20and denied our request

32:22for an on-camera interview

32:23saying the matter

32:24is being investigated

32:25by the RCMP.

32:27When we come back,

32:29we take the fraud victim's concerns

32:31straight to B.C.'s health minister.

32:33Mark Kelly

32:34from the CBC program

32:35to put this date.

32:36Yeah.

32:36It was the spring of 2024

32:48and for 10 long years,

32:51B.C.'s Interior Health Authority

32:53had been denying

32:54it was responsible

32:55for a massive data breach.

32:57And then another RCMP revelation

32:59would make that claim

33:01even more difficult.

33:03The Mounties found a list

33:04with a staggering 20,000

33:06stolen identities,

33:08including the names

33:08of 7,000 current IH employees.

33:12IH's VP of Digital Health

33:14spoke to Global News.

33:15We're actually unaware of,

33:17unsure of how this information

33:19came into possession

33:20of the individual

33:20when the RCMP discovered the file.

33:24But it is concerning.

33:25It's sensitive information.

33:27For the victims,

33:28this just confirmed

33:29what they already knew.

33:31But in that Global News interview,

33:32Interior Health treated the news

33:35like a lightning bolt

33:36out of the blue.

33:37We want to reach out

33:38to employees,

33:39both active and inactive,

33:41and make sure they're aware

33:42of this discovery

33:43and have the opportunity

33:44to protect their identity

33:46through credit monitoring.

33:49Then the denial machine

33:50kicked into gear once again.

33:53Unlike in 2017,

33:55the IH press release

33:56didn't call this a breach.

33:58Instead, it was referred to

33:59as an information incident.

34:02In a message to employees,

34:04IH said external security experts

34:06concluded this information

34:07is not circulating

34:09on the dark web,

34:10a forum where criminals

34:11buy and sell stolen information.

34:13Again, we asked IH for the report.

34:16Again, IH refused our request.

34:21The former criminal, Anonymous,

34:24dismissed any suggestion.

34:25The list was not for sale

34:27through the dark web.

34:29That is untrue,

34:32as me personally,

34:33as well as others,

34:34have bought it on Telegram shops

34:36and other dark web forums.

34:38I'm sure they released

34:40that statement

34:40as a protection from liability

34:42and act like it's not

34:45that big of a leak.

34:48Why do you think

34:49there's been this failure

34:49to take responsibility?

34:51Do you believe

34:51that they honestly believe

34:53the leak did not come from them?

34:56I think it'd be hard

34:56to deny it at this point,

34:58but I think it just

34:58opens them up too.

34:59It opens a Pandora's box

35:01of liability

35:02and accountability

35:03that it's easier

35:06to sweep under the rug

35:06and hopefully

35:07it will go away.

35:11But it's not going away.

35:13Just ask these people.

35:14I tried to sign a loan

35:18for my son

35:19going to university,

35:20like a $6,000 line of credit,

35:22and they wouldn't approve it

35:23and I didn't know why

35:24and now I think,

35:25now I know why,

35:25there must be something going on.

35:27So I'm really scared

35:28that there's stuff out there

35:30in my name

35:31and I still don't know about it.

35:32Because I think

35:33they should pay

35:34for what they've done.

35:36It was brutal.

35:38I almost got turned down

35:40for buying a house

35:41because my credit was so bad.

35:44So Interior Health

35:46offered its employees

35:47two years of credit monitoring,

35:49calling it

35:50a precautionary measure,

35:51as if their identity theft

35:53had never even happened.

35:55I said to them,

35:56that is useless to me.

35:57I'm already a victim.

35:58It had been over

35:59almost a year

36:00and there's no one to help.

36:03Shame on IHA.

36:05That's all I have to say.

36:06I worked for them

36:07for a long time

36:08and if that's,

36:11I mean,

36:12once they have your sin number,

36:13they're criminals,

36:14you're done.

36:19Which brings us back

36:20to the former RCMP constable

36:22who set off alarm bells

36:23with his investigation

36:25a decade ago,

36:26Stuart Ward.

36:27I think that

36:28any of these companies

36:29that are losing personal data

36:31should be on the hook

36:32for ensuring

36:33that these people are safe,

36:35unfortunately,

36:36for the rest of their lives.

36:37Throwing out these

36:38two-year credit check reports

36:41isn't helping anyone

36:42because two years from now

36:44you still have

36:44the same personal information.

36:46So somebody has to help them.

36:48And yet so many of them

36:49tell us

36:50that they were the ones

36:51who were made to feel

36:52like they did something wrong.

36:54And they didn't do anything wrong.

36:55They didn't do anything wrong.

36:56There was nothing

36:56that a single one

36:57of those victims

36:58could have done

36:58to prevent any of this happening.

37:00This is not their fault.

37:01You know,

37:02the first thing

37:02I should probably say

37:04is that I really feel

37:05for the victims

37:07of this breach

37:08and this identity theft

37:10and what's happened

37:12to those folks.

37:13So we headed to Victoria

37:15to meet BC's

37:16Information and Privacy Commissioner

37:18Michael Harvey.

37:19Appointed just last year,

37:21he echoed

37:21what many victims believe

37:23but Interior Health

37:24continues to deny.

37:26Is the source of that leak

37:28was it Interior Health?

37:30That's my understanding

37:32is that this information

37:34came from Interior Health.

37:35That's my understanding.

37:36We have not conducted

37:38an investigation

37:39that concludes that

37:40but that is my understanding.

37:42Still, Commissioner Harvey

37:43says he won't investigate

37:45Interior Health's

37:46handling of the breach.

37:48Their obligation

37:49is to take

37:49reasonable safeguards.

37:51And so I need

37:53to have evidence.

37:56We have a list

37:56of 28,000 names

37:58with their social insurance numbers.

38:00Their personal information.

38:01What more evidence

38:02do you need at that point?

38:03I would need to have evidence

38:04to show that

38:04that information

38:05was gotten

38:08onto the dark web

38:10through them failing

38:11to meet their legal obligations.

38:13But you understand

38:14how unsatisfying

38:15that is going to be

38:16for the people

38:17whose names

38:18are on this list?

38:19It is not within

38:20my authority

38:21to do anything

38:22that could assist

38:24these people.

38:24Who can then?

38:26Well, I think that

38:27that law enforcement

38:28can and the courts can.

38:30And the Privacy Commissioner,

38:31where are they?

38:32They should be

38:33all over this.

38:34Former Ontario Privacy Commissioner

38:37Anne Kavoukian

38:37says it's time

38:38the B.C. government

38:39took responsibility

38:41since Interior Health

38:42hasn't.

38:43This is why you have

38:44to go to the Minister

38:45of Health

38:45and the Premier

38:46because you can't

38:47engage these individuals.

38:51They're not speaking

38:51to you responsibly.

38:53They're not telling you

38:53the truth.

38:55They're covering things up,

38:56obviously.

38:57And you need someone

38:58to say to them,

39:00open up.

39:02You have to be truthful

39:03about this.

39:04We have to discontinue

39:06this activity

39:07of covering up.

39:08I am really honoured

39:09to serve as B.C.'s

39:11Minister of Health.

39:12And it's been about...

39:12We sent multiple requests

39:14to B.C.'s Health Minister

39:15Josie Osborne

39:16for an interview.

39:17Her office eventually declined,

39:19also citing an RCMP investigation.

39:21So we showed up

39:23to an industry-sponsored event

39:25to bring the victim's concerns

39:26directly to her.

39:28We waited as she posed

39:30for selfies.

39:31We were the only journalists

39:32in attendance.

39:35I understand your time constraints.

39:36I respect you.

39:36Yeah, yeah.

39:39We told her Chief of Staff

39:40why we were here.

39:42Watch as she warns the Minister

39:44we had questions

39:45about Interior Health.

39:47I don't have a good time.

39:49Very quickly, Minister Osborne.

39:51Mark Kelly

39:52from the CBC program

39:53for the state.

39:54We've just come here

39:55from Toronto

39:55for a couple of questions

39:56for you.

39:58We've spent months now

39:59investigating the data breach

40:00at Interior Health.

40:02Will you and your government

40:04now acknowledge

40:04that Interior Health

40:05is responsible

40:07for that data breach?

40:08Thank you very much.

40:09I'd love to follow up

40:10with a conversation.

40:10We are going to go

40:11catch our plane right now.

40:13The data breach

40:15occurred in 2009.

40:17It's 2025.

40:19Sorry.

40:20The nurses have been waiting

40:22for some answers,

40:23some truth and transparency

40:24on this.

40:24We do have to run.

40:26Will you apologize

40:27for the inconvenience

40:28that this has caused?

40:29I'm not.

40:30Thank you for any questions.

40:31We'll follow up.

40:32For sure.

40:33We have been asking you

40:34for weeks.

40:36We will.

40:37For weeks.

40:38And now we're here.

40:40Yeah.

40:41We'll follow up.

40:42You're walking away

40:43from your own employees.

40:52Unbelievable.

40:57We never did hear back.

41:04Transparency on this.

41:05Back in Kelowna,

41:06we showed our exchange

41:08with the health minister

41:09to Ashley Stone.

41:11It's kind of been

41:13the theme

41:14throughout this whole experience

41:16anyway.

41:17So I guess

41:18it's unfortunate

41:19but I'm not surprised.

41:20There's no resolution.

41:22There's no,

41:22there's no like

41:24here's the way

41:26and it's going to get fixed

41:27for you.

41:28It's just like

41:28this is an unfortunate road

41:30to go down

41:31and nobody cares.

41:33After 16 years

41:34as a registered nurse

41:36and a decade

41:37fighting interior health

41:38to get some accountability,

41:40Stone has decided

41:41to leave nursing

41:42but she won't

41:43give up the fight.

41:45Oh,

41:46I honestly just want

41:47to put all this behind me

41:48and forget it ever happened

41:49and

41:51I just also

41:53just want to continue

41:54to be an advocate

41:54for my colleagues

41:55who are

41:56still working

41:58full time

41:58and need that work

41:59full time

42:00and feel too afraid

42:01to speak up

42:02because I'm

42:03not afraid

42:04to speak up

42:04anymore.

42:07It's never over.

42:09It's never over.

42:11They have

42:12your personal information.

42:15It's never going to end.

42:16They can use it

42:17at any time.

42:18It's public information

42:18now.

42:21And I could be

42:2180 years old

42:22and still be dealing

42:23with this.

42:30I'm Joanna Rumaliotis.

42:37Next week

42:38on The Fifth Estate

42:39as the world

42:40watches what comes

42:41next in Gaza.

42:47There's quieter

42:48but intensifying

42:49violence in the West Bank.

42:50Back to the car!

42:51Back to the car!

42:54We're in the West Bank

42:55village of Susia

42:56where Palestinians

42:57here say

42:57they live under

42:58constant threat

42:59of attack

42:59by Israeli settlers.

43:01How they sleep here?

43:02You see the blood?

43:04Oh my goodness.

43:05Everybody's here, eh?

43:06Yeah.

43:07Oh my gosh.

43:08Hi!

43:08The International

43:09Court of Justice

43:10calls the settlements

43:12illegal.

43:13Canada says

43:13they undermine

43:14a future

43:15Palestinian state.

43:16Ottawa condemns

43:17the escalating violence.

43:19But our investigation

43:20reveals

43:21Canadian charities

43:22are sending

43:22millions of

43:23tax-deductible dollars

43:25to Israeli group's

43:26intent

43:26on forcing

43:27Palestinians

43:28off this land.

43:29We are financing

43:30war criminality

43:32through our

43:34charitable system.

43:35These aren't

43:36settlers.

43:37These are Jews

43:37who have returned

43:38to the cradle

43:39of Jewish civilization.

43:41What's the logic

43:42behind shutting

43:43down homes and shops

43:44along the street?

43:45To remove

43:45Palestinians

43:46from their homes.

43:47That's it.

43:47That's the only

43:48excuse.

43:50If we want peace

43:51we have to

43:52give up that

43:53which we think

43:53is ours

43:54in order to

43:55make peace

43:56possible.

43:57That's next week

43:58on The Fifth Estate.

43:59The Fifth Estate.

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