Police warning about scams after 93-year-old duped twice out of $10,000
Montreal police are warning seniors to watch out for scam artists after a 93-year-old woman was defrauded twice out of $10,000.
Police recently arrested two people in connection with the so-called grandparent scam. It's been going on for years, and police say people are still falling for it.
"In this specific case, a suspect called the victim, they usually claim to be a family member or police officer helping a family member in distress," said Montreal police Lt. Lynne Labelle.
The scammer creates stress by crying and saying they need the money quickly.
They do it "to gain the confidence in the victim and play on their emotions of the victim, trying to get a large sum of money," said Labelle.
In this case, the elderly victim finally reported it to police after the second incident -- so when the third call came, police moved in.
"In our station, since June 2022, we've had seven different operations. Four of them were successful and we arrested eight individuals with the help of our economic crime section," said Labelle
The suspects are charged with fraud. Police say they were the ones collecting the money, but add they there were part of a much larger criminal network.
FADOQ, the largest seniors' organization in Canada, has some useful tips on its site senioraware.ca, to raise awareness of fraud, abuse, and bullying against the elderly.
Be suspicious right away on the phone, said FADOQ chair Gisèle Tassé-Goodman. Never give a name and ask questions to confirm information.
"Never give a name and if you don't know the person, just hang up. You don't need to go further with the conversation," said Tassé-Goodman.
In 2020, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 11,447 reports from Canadian seniors, representing losses of more than $31.8 million — an understatement, because FADOQ says grandparent scams are underreported.
"The most important thing is to report the situation to the authorities," said Tassé-Goodman. "We know it's not always reported, and it's a way to start the legal process but also to prevent the alleged scammer from trying again with another victim."
The fraudsters call on landlines and police say victims rarely get their money back.
"These victims are usually going to have a sense of fear, discouragement, shame, that they listened to the fraudster and gave the money away," said Labelle.
Police have visited West Island banks, reminding tellers to watch out for large cash withdrawals, because criminals often coach their victims on what to say at the bank in order to get the cash quickly.
Police say the best defence against this scam is awareness.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army ordered some 100,000 Palestinians on Monday to begin evacuating from the southern city of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent and further complicating efforts to broker a cease-fire in Gaza.