Linda Klassen, a 78-year-old Winnipeg woman, is warning about the dangers of online banking after a fraudster took control of her home computer in 2024 and exploited her bank accounts.

She says an unknown person or persons hacked into her laptop and email and made fraudulent transactions through her accounts at Access Credit Union and Steinbach Credit Union. There was also an unsuccessful attempt to defraud another investment account.

The transactions took place between May 16 and 27, 2024, when her husband, Rudy, was undergoing cancer treatment and has since passed away.

“It’s really life-altering,” Klassen says. “You feel like your financial security is gone and it’s like someone has broken into your house.”

Details of the scam
At Access Credit Union, two fraudulent checks for $50,000 were deposited online and then the money was transferred to the fraudsters’ accounts. The institution recovered that damage.
At Steinbach Credit Union, four fraudulent checks totaling $292,000 were deposited, when the account balance was just $6.86.
The fraudster used the funds to make fraudulent online payments, creating a debt of more than $174,000 in the account.
The institution was able to recover more than $117,000 through insurance and funds tracking, but the rest was left behind.
Klassen sued Steinbach Credit Union in July 2025, seeking three times the amount owed, along with other damages. The case has not yet been heard in court.

Steinbach Credit Union’s defense has denied liability, saying:

The damage “would have been entirely preventable” if the Klassens had notified them immediately after they discovered the previous fraud on Access.
According to the Electronic Services Agreement, customers must immediately notify them if their password is compromised.
The institution was not notified of the previous fraud at Access until July 2024.
The institution said it had no “special transaction monitoring” role without prior knowledge of the hack.

Klassen: We never figured out how the hackers got in
He says they never figured out how the hackers got in, and the financial institutions have not been able to figure out why.
The Klassens thought Steinbach’s account was safe, which is why they didn’t report it immediately.

After receiving suspicious text messages on the night of May 24, Rudy called Steinbach the next morning to report the fraud. They later referred the case to the police. Police say no suspects have been identified yet.

Steinbach Credit Union’s View
The institution wouldn’t elaborate due to legal issues, but said:

It is fully aware of the “devastating” impact the fraud has had on victims.
It is trying to recover as much money as possible.
It has insurance, but the coverage is limited.
Anyone who thinks their account has been hacked should report it immediately.
Expert opinion

Banks and financial institutions should freeze accounts immediately when they see suspicious activity, says Celine Latulip, a computer science professor at the University of Manitoba.
She believes Steinbach Credit Union should have refunded the money to the students.
She is also working on a project to help seniors learn how to bank online safely.

Bank fraud statistics in Canada
According to statistics:

In 2023, 1,414 people had their bank accounts hacked.
That number dropped to 1,118 in 2024.
The most common security weaknesses:

Using duplicate passwords
Weak passwords
Ignoring two-factor authentication
Clicking on phishing links
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