Woman arrested for alleged fraud scheme targeting Laval seniors
Posted November 19, 2024 1:35 pm.
Laval police (SPL) arrested a suspect who allegedly convinced seniors to share their bank cards and personal identification numbers (PINs).
Anastasia Tataru, 19, was apprehended last week and faces several fraud charges, including pretending to be an officer and fraud over $5,000.
Since April 2024, investigators identified nearly a dozen cases with a similar scheme targeting seniors. The victims were contacted by telephone using the name Simon Blaid or Simon Cloutier.
The suspect allegedly pretended to be an investigator from a financial institution or the Anti-Fraud Centre and told the victims that their bank cards had been defrauded. After gaining their trust, Tataru then allegedly asked them to place their cards in an envelope and deposit it in their mailbox.
Shortly after, under the alias “Jessica Blais,” the suspect retrieved their cards, along with the pin numbers which were requested on the phone and reportedly made fraudulent transactions.
Tataru was released with conditions after her arrest and her case will be back in court on Jan. 15, 2025.
The SPL have identified 30 similar cases in the Laval area, and around 10 cases may be linked to this suspect.
Officers remind the public 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.
Anyone with information about this case can contact, confidentially, the Info-Police Line at 450-662-INFO or call 911 and mention file LVL-240416-053.
