Seniors tricked by alleged fraud scheme in Laval

A minor was arrested by Laval police (SPL) after allegedly convincing several victims to give him their debit cards and personal identification numbers (PINs) on Thursday.

The SPL have identified about 30 cases in the Laval area since March.

Police suspect there may be other victims in the Greater Montreal area.

The suspect allegedly called the victims, mostly seniors, at their homes posing as a representative of a financial institution. He then told his targets that they had been subjected to bank card fraud.

“After gaining their trust, he asked them to place their cards in an envelope and write the personal identification number (PIN) on the back,” explained the SPL. “He then told them that a courier would pick up their cards at their residence. Once recovered, they were used to commit fraud at bank counters and shops.”

According to a press release, the SPL discovered a new element that alerted its investigators.

“In the context of a few cases, the courier would have called the victims back so that they could speak directly with a real representative of their financial institution in order to have their card reactivated which had been blocked for suspicion of fraud,” reads the press release. “The whole thing would have been done in the context of a conference call with several interlocutors.”

Laval police reiterate to never give out personal information, bank, or credit card numbers to a stranger. 

No financial or government institution communicates by email, phone, or text message to request personal data.

-With files from La Presse Canadienne