A London woman is charged with defrauding Veterans Affairs.

The London RCMP Financial Crime Unit spent eight months investigating the case following a complaint from Veterans Affairs Canada.

A 61-year-old London woman is charged with fraud over $5,000.

The investigation began in November 2016 when the RCMP was alerted that a possible fraud had been committed.

Veterans Affairs told police that veteran survivor benefits had continued to be issued for 14 months after the recipient’s death.

The accused omitted notifying Veterans Affairs of her mother’s death and continued to collect the payments, police said. 

They say she collected more than $26,000 from the government agency.

"The RCMP respects the valued sacrifices veterans and their families have made for Canadians and is committed to protecting the integrity of the institutions appointed to care for them. This investigation highlights that fraud, as a crime, knows no boundaries," said Insp. Joe Czenze with the London detachment.