Underage fraudster tricked Laval seniors into giving him their debit cards: police

A Laval police crest photographed on Thursday, February 9, 2023. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Police in Laval say they have arrested an underage fraudster after he allegedly convinced several victims, often seniors, to give him their debit cards and personal identification numbers (PINs). The cards were then used to commit fraud.

The Laval police service (SPL) said it has seen some 30 cases since March and believes there may be more victims in the Montreal area.

As part of the scheme, the suspect would call victims at home and pretend to represent a financial institution. He would then tell his targets that their bank card had been defrauded.

"After gaining their trust, he would ask them to place their cards in an envelope and write the personal identification number (PIN) on the back. He then told them that a courier would pick up their cards at their home. Once retrieved, the cards were used to commit fraud at bank machines and businesses," police explained.

The fraudster used fictitious names, including "Simon Cloutier" and "Simon Blais," for the courier visiting the victims' homes.

The SPL also pointed out that it has spotted a new element that alerted its investigators: "In a few cases, the courier called the victims back so that they could speak directly with a real representative of their financial institution to reactivate their card, which had been blocked on suspicion of fraud. The whole thing was carried out as part of a multi-party conference call."

The SPL is reminding people never to give out personal information to strangers, such as bank or credit card numbers, and reiterates that no financial or government institution will contact you by e-mail, telephone or text message to request personal data.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 27, 2024.