Data theft at Desjardins: Broker Matthew Jonkas convicted

Matthew Jonkas, a suspect in a burglary in Desjardines, has been convicted of purchasing lists containing “150,000 to 200,000” people without their consent and for failing to disclose specific information.

Also read: Deszardins Group: Another employee was fired after contacting the data

On Monday, the disciplinary committee of the organization D’Atoriglementation du Cortage immobilier du Quebec (OACIQ) gave its verdict in the Quebec broker case that took place in the spring of 2021.

Read the 52-page document that reads: “The Committee has no doubt that information relating to an individual’s financial situation is confidential.”

This decision relates only to the guilt of Matthew Jonas. Disciplinary sanctions will be decided later in another trial. Defendant now has 30 days to appeal. He faces fines ranging from $ 2,000 to $ 50,000 per account.

Matthew Jonkas has been the target of two complaints since 2020. The first is to buy lists of potential clients, “in 2016 or 2017” as a mortgage broker, “without worrying or making sure that they consent to the transmission of their personal data”.

During his trial, Matthew Jonkas’ attorney tried to prove that most of the data available on these lists were available to everyone or that it was possible to count them from an individual’s age.

However, the Committee does not believe that it is possible for an individual to obtain a revolving credit without going through his borrower or his financial institution.

“The [Mathieu Joncas] Tells us information […] The ones related to revolving credit are unnecessary and unimportant because no one knows what the numbers mean. In our opinion, there is no basis or credibility for this statement of the respondent, ”the committee replied.

“In the case where the defendant wants to buy a list of clients who have a mortgage from Desjardins, as well as with the debts, why should a wise businessman like the defendant pay $ 100,000 to get worthless information about personal debts? Potential customers?” He asks.

The committee also does not believe that it was a coincidence that Matthew Jonkas emptied the contents of his computer in June 2019, while Desjardins revealed publicly about data theft.

During her testimony in the spring, Julie Pinnett, OACIQ’s auxiliary syndicate, argued that Matthew J‌ncas had admitted to buying data from another suspect in the file in the Desjardins, Jean-Loop Loulier-Massey. This information includes mortgage balance, mortgage rate and disability and life insurance premiums.

Matthew Jonkas spends “$ 1” to buy the first 50,000 names and pays “40 cents” for each name. The total bill was between $ 90,000 and $ 110,000.

Conflict of interest

The second complaint was resolved with a possible conflict between the role of Matthew J‌ncas in a mortgage brokerage agency and his position as a shareholder in a private loan company.

In particular, the disciplinary committee ruled that the broker effectively put himself in a position of advantageous conflict in both cases. However, he was acquitted of the charges of “negligence or refusal” to provide certain documents relating to this second complaint.

No charges have yet been filed in connection with the data theft of millions of members in Desjardines.

So far, broker Mark-Olivier Tangway has paid $ 5,000 and Savings & Insurance broker Franకోois Baylorzion-Bouchard has to pay a $ 5,000 fine for the purchase of confidential information. Committee.

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