Donations stolen from Quinte Humane Society mailbox

By Tahreem Fatima

BELLEVILLE – Quinte Humane Society says it fears that a lot of community donations have been stolen from its mailbox.

In a press release on Tuesday, Quinte Humane society said that the case came up when a donor contacted the organization for a 2018 tax receipt. After a thorough search of financial records, QHS was unable to pull up her data records.  The donor forwarded a copy of the cashed cheque. Upon investigation, it was revealed that someone not related to the Quinte Humane Society had deposited the funds into their personal account. 

After this case, three more donors were also identified as the victim of the same theft. The humane society believes that the cheques were going missing from their postal box. The society forwarded the information to the postal outlet. The police were called.

“We are extremely disappointed to learn of these thefts but with the cooperation of the postal outlet and the diligence of the Belleville Police Service, I am confident that the accused will be brought to justice,” said Frank Rockett, executive director for the society.

The society said board and staff are shocked by this theft. They said in a press release that the Quinte Humane Society appreciates the support and concern of its donors. This fraudulent act has undermined its ability to raise the urgent funds needed for animals in its care.

The humane society is asking its donors to contact them if they have made donations in the last five months and have not received donation receipts.

As the police are still investigating, the society said it is still unable to tell exactly how many donors were by affected by this shameful act. People who made donations and haven’t received a 2018 tax receipt are urged to call the office at 613-968-4673.