Quebec, Toronto police set to make arrests in fraud case
Posted October 3, 2024 10:25 am.
Around 30 people allegedly linked to ‘false representative’ fraud are expected to be arrested by various Quebec and Ontario police forces on Thursday.
According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), more than 250 police and civilian resources are involved in this operation, and officers expect to meet with or arrest 28 people.
‘False representative’ fraud is when a person pretends to be a bank representative and convinces their victim to hand over their banking information. This ploy usually targets senior citizens.
“They usually call their victim and warn them that potential fraud has been detected on their account,” the SQ said in a press release. “They are then asked to hand over their bank cards and personal identification number (PIN) to a false representative, and an accomplice goes to the victim’s home to retrieve the card.”
In some cases, the fake representatives will then go to the bank to withdraw money, while others use the cards to make purchases.
As part of the raid, the police conducted around 20 searches in Sherbrooke, Brossard, Montreal, Laval, Saint-Canut, Saint-Lin-Laurentides, Joliette, Terrebonne and Sainte-Thérèse.
Searches will also take place by Toronto police in Ottawa.
The SQ says that this investigation began in the fall of 2023.
Authorities remind the public to never give out their banking information over the phone, including their PIN. They advise people who think they are victims of this scheme to end the phone call and contact their bank directly.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
