Montreal police believe man targeting seniors in alleged fraud scheme may have other victims

The Montreal police (SPVM) believes that a man recently charged with fraud may have had other victims.

Mark Anthony Fattibene, 24, was arrested on Sept. 13 and charged the following day with fraud. He appeared in court on Sept. 15.

The SPVM said in a news release that Fattibene allegedly used grandparent frauds on seniors.

"With the help of one or more accomplices, Mark Anthony Fattibene is suspected of having taken a large sum of money from a senior citizen in Côte-St-Luc earlier this month," the SPVM said in a news release.

Police say that victims are generally contacted by phone in this type of case, with the caller claiming to be a relative in distress.

"The fraudsters use the emotion created by the situation to extort money from the target, who is then put under a great deal of psychological pressure," the SPVM said.

Fattibene is 5'9" and weighs around 165 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He speaks English and French.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of Fattibene's alleged attempts at fraud or who knows anyone who has can contact a local police station or call 911 to lodge a complaint.

The RCMP's anti-fraud section advises citizens to use the following advice:

• Slow things down, reach out to other relatives and review the situation together, and contact authorities if need be. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency.
• Never offer information to the caller (e.g., if you believe it might be a family member calling, don't say the person's name before they identify themselves).
• Ask the caller personal questions that only the real person would know.
• Attempt to contact the family member in question.
• Refuse to send e-transfer money, gift cards, credit card numbers, crypto currency, such as Bitcoin, or anything else of value in 'urgent situations.'
• Be careful to not drop their guard because the number on their caller ID looks familiar or legitimate. Scammers can spoof telephone numbers and make it appear they're calling from a trusted source.
• Contact the authority represented through a legitimate contact source, not the one provided by the contactor (e.g., the phone number listed on an official website or phonebook).
• Stop communicating with the caller if they have a feeling something is not right. If in doubt, people should hang up or delete and should not continue communication.