A mother and daughter from Victoria have been charged in connection with a slew of credit card frauds across the Capital Region.
Vancouver Island RCMP say the women, arrested June 12, are suspected of conducting hundreds of illegal transactions across Vancouver Island totalling over $90,000 between January 2011 and March 2012.
Many of the frauds were never reported to police, but extensive followup and liaison was done with with banks, merchants and other agencies, said Insp. John Ibbotson with the RCMP’s serious and organized crime operations and financial integrity department.
“Credit cards were altered and unauthorized credit card data was used to purchase high-end electronics, furniture, merchandise and gift cards,” he said. “These arrests and charges represent a significant success and disruption of ongoing financial crimes.”
Christine Mauro, 46, and Karen Mauro, 63, face 27 combined charges of fraud under $5,000 and use of credit card data. They are part of a prolific crime group, police say. The women appeared in Victoria court June 13 and are under house arrest pending a trial date.
The women appeared in Victoria court on June 13 and are now under house arrest pending a trial date. Their next court appearance is July 24 in Victoria.
Most of the alleged frauds occurred within Greater Victoria and the south Island, including Saanich, Sidney and Duncan.
According to court records, Christine Mauro has been convicted multiple times of fraud, using a stolen credit cards, using forged documents and possessing instruments to forge stolen credit cards, related to crimes within Greater Victoria and the Cowichan Valley.
Her mother Karen has less of a rap sheet, but was found guilty in 2009 of using a stolen credit card and she has a trial scheduled for September this year in Victoria on fraud and using stolen credit cards.
dpalmer@vicnews.com