When news hit that almost $10 million dollars had been stolen from FACTOR's bank account the rumour mill went into hyper speed that somehow FACTOR was at fault. In this new era of digital frontier lawlessness where online fraudsters roam the land with apparent impunity 'blaming the victim' is a handy way for powerful entities to avoid accountability and responsibility. Only in this case that victim wasn't just FACTOR as an organization but an entire sector of Canadian artists, companies and industry infrastructure. With plummeting contributions from radio broadcasters and court proceedings that have frozen payments from online streamers putting real downward pressure on FACTOR's ability to maintain investments at the pace required, having $10 million stolen from its bank account was a visceral punch in the gut. And the punches kept coming. Media reports irresponsibly repeating claims that long time, dedicated FACTOR staff were somehow at fault (they weren’t), an investigative debacle that had multiple jurisdictions playing hot potato with the file (petty theft at your local mall seems to get more rapid police resources attached to it than this did), and main figures in this heist, who could have answered key questions, skipping the country to avoid a court appearence put enormous financial and emotional pressure on FACTOR's small team. This week's news of FACTOR’s settlement with Scotiabank is a major victory, a vindication and a cautionary tale. It is a victory for right over wrong--a modern David and Goliath story. It is a vindication for the team at FACTOR led by Meg Symsyk who, against enormous pressure to stop seeking answers, justice and the return of the stolen money, persevered and got it all back, including the cost of legal fees. Bravo!! This is also a cautionary tale for all of us--this can happen to anyone.  Our businesses and our personal accounts are not as safe as we assume and we need to adjust our business practices and our personal vigilance to reflect that reality. It's why in the coming weeks CIMA will be announcing a new series of workshops for the community so that companies and individuals operating at every level of our sector have a clearer understanding of the size, scope and sophistication of online stealing, how to keep their bank accounts as safe as possible, and what their respective banks will and will not take responsibility for in the event of an online bank robbery. Andrew Cash CIMA President & CEO https://www.cimamusic.ca/ Read more about FACTOR's settlement in Billboard Canada here.