REPENTIGNY -- A fraud that has so far claimed several victims among seniors in Repentigny, in Lanaudière, was reported Tuesday by local police.
The modus operandi used by the criminals has been seen in other regions of Quebec this year, including Gatineau and Sherbrooke.
According to the Repentigny police, one of the criminals dials the home phone number of an elderly person and, pretending to be an employee of a credit union with Desjardins or the National Bank of Canada, tells them that they have just been defrauded.
The name of one of the banking institutions appears on the victim's telephone display, which may give the caller credibility.
The caller advises the victim that for security reasons, they must urgently hand over their bank cards and personal identification numbers (PINs) to secure their bank account.
An accomplice posing as a representative of the financial institution knocked on the door of the victim's residence shortly thereafter to collect the cards and PINs.
The criminals then proceeded to make several thousand dollars worth of bank withdrawals.
Police say that no representative or employee of a financial institution will solicit a customer for a bank card and PIN under any circumstances.
Anyone who has any concerns is encouraged to call 911 immediately.
