An individual in Montreal was arrested Tuesday by Gatineau police in two fraud cases that occurred in May involving an immediate need for money or “grandparent fraud” schemes.
The Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) said it had reason to believe the accused could be linked to other similar files currently under investigation or have not yet been reported to police, according to a press release. Thursday.
People who think they have been victims are therefore invited to contact Gatineau police.
On May 26, the SPVG issued a warning about the increase of grandparent fraud in its territory. The police force had previously received approximately fifteen complaints since May 11. Since then, several more files have been added, bringing the total number of complaints to 31.
Finally, a 22-year-old Montreal resident was arrested Tuesday morning. He appeared in Quebec Court on Wednesday morning before being released on conditions.
He faces charges of fraud in excess of $ 5,000 and possession of property seized by the crime.
Similar modus operandi
The SPVG remember that in this method, fraudsters specifically target the elderly.
In all cases, the modus operandi of the fraudsters was the same, Gatineau police explained.
One suspect called the victim pretending to be his grandson, his son -in -law or even his grandson’s wife and said he needed help.
The suspect says he was involved in a car accident, hit someone – usually a pregnant woman – and was arrested by police.
In some files, the individual posing as a loved one indicates that he admitted to police that he was using his cell phone during the collision.
The interlocutor then explained to the victim that he was only entitled to one call and that he had to cut off communication shortly. He asked her to help pay bail allowing him to get out of jail and asked her not to tell anyone about it. He dropped the call, specifying that a lawyer would contact him.
The second suspect contacted the victim saying he was the lawyer in question. He mentioned the need for a certain amount of money to repay the bond. He asked the victim to go and withdraw the money and not to mention to the clerk that the amount would be used to pay bail because he had to fill out a whole set of documents, which would take too much time.
Once the money was in hand, the victim again contacted the lawyer who told him that a bailiff or a courthouse employee would go to his residence to recover the amount.
Later, someone showed up at the victim’s house and left with the money. In some cases, the suspect makes an appointment with his victim in a public place to calm him down.
Anyone with information about the scheme grandfather’s deception are invited to contact the information line of SPVG at 819-243-4636, option 5.
Tips to protect yourself
Police are making several recommendations to guard against this type of incident.
He pointed out that scammers randomly target their victims and generally find their information on public websites such as Canada 411.
Therefore, it may be wise to limit the information available on this type of platformWrite the SPVG.
When you receive a call from someone who says he or she is a loved one in need, it is important to ask the caller to validate their identity. These questions should be neutral and accurate or personal enough to ensure that the scammer does not guess the answers. No information such as first name should be suggested because fraudsters can use this information to confuse their victim.
If the person claims to be a family member, it is best to try to contact this person using commonly used phone numbers.
Nor should personal or banking information be provided, even if the caller claims to be an acquaintance or family member.
If in doubt, it is advisable to contact SPVG.
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
