CIBC customer shocked after someone takes out $260K mortgage without warning

A woman from British Columbia, Canada, expressed her shock at discovering that someone had taken out a mortgage and added her name without her consent.

Hailey Leo, a resident of Langley, B.C., was surprised to find out that a mortgage had been opened in her name in a different province without her presence. “I’m mind-boggled that you can open up a mortgage in a completely different province and not even be present,” Leo told Consumer Matters.

Her ordeal began on Feb. 14, 2025, when she noticed changes to her personal information after logging into her CIBC account. “Not my name, but my address, the phone numbers – there were three different phone numbers added. The address was changed to Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta,” Leo explained.

Leo received no notification from her bank and only found out when she contacted CIBC and was connected to the fraud department, which froze her account.

After several hours, CIBC opened a new account in Leo’s name, assuring her that the issue was resolved. “They said everything was corrected and I should be fine to go,” Leo said.

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However, 11 days later, Leo encountered more issues with her CIBC account. “I tried to log into my online banking to check my balance and I can’t log in. Again, no notifications, no calls, no emails, no nothing,” Leo said.

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Leo was shocked to learn that someone had opened a mortgage and a personal line of credit in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, with her name on them. “They (CIBC) end up telling me that all of the information has changed from the day I came in originally on the 14th, back to the exact same person, the exact same address, except this time they took out a $260,000 mortgage under my name,” she said.

“I didn’t apply for a mortgage. How did this happen?”

In an emailed statement, CIBC informed Consumer Matters: “We looked into this matter and can confirm no fraud or identity theft occurred. This was a processing issue limited to a single account which we are working to resolve.”

Consumer Matters reached out to the number listed on Leo’s account, and the person who answered identified themselves as ‘Hailey Leo’ from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, and mentioned dealing with CIBC regarding an account with a mortgage.

“I wish they could give me an explanation for just shutting down the account. That’s all they explained it as. They told me that it was fraud,” Leo expressed.

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Cybercrime consultant Claudiu Popa criticized CIBC’s response, stating that it raises more questions than answers and does little for consumer confidence. “It’s up to the banks to educate the public not just to say you’re responsible for protecting your password and your account,” Popa added.

Popa highlighted the increasing sophistication of threats to personal banking information and advised swift action for individuals facing similar situations or compromised banking information.

He recommended contacting the Ombudsman For Banking Services and Investments, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, as well as obtaining a statement from the bank to ensure credit rating protection.

Leo confirmed that CIBC is conducting an investigation, but she has lost trust in the bank and moved her funds to a competitor for enhanced security. “My biggest thing right now is security. Is all of our information protected?” Leo questioned.

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