LONGUEUIL - Police have arrested four people on the South Shore involved in an alleged door-to-door salesperson scam.
Annie Turcotte, 37, alleged to be the mastermind of the operation, was arrested along with Kim Berube, 30, Ahmed Tahiri, 42, and Richard Pouliot, 47.
The arrests were carried out Thursday by Longueuil Police with the help of the provincial police.
Police say the group operated as a company that dealt with air conditioning and heat pumps called Gestion AT based in a Brossard apartment.
"Either they did work that wasn't needed or wasn't done at all," said Longueuil police rep Patrick Barriere. "In some cases they might have broken equipment."
Investigators say the company targeted seniors, calling and going door-to-door in an effort to get potential clients.
They would offer free estimations and guarantees, would then bill for unnecessary costs, according to police.
Police seized accounting documents, invoices, client lists with names and information.
Officers received about 100 complaints but estimate there may have been over a 1,000 victims in the last few years.
Two of the four suspects, the 37-year-old woman and one of the men, were charged with fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud and were released on bail after a court appearance Friday morning in Longueuil.
The company, founded in 2005, had a long list of complaints against it, according to Elsie Theriault of Option Consommateur. She recommends that those with broken air conditioners or heat pumps do their homework first.
"Consult friends and relatives," she said, "or check out consumer websites."
