33-year-old sentenced 36 months for grandparent scam in Montreal
Posted March 4, 2025 11:13 am.
Last Updated March 4, 2025 11:14 am.
A 33-year-old man from Saint-Jérôme was arrested on Oct. 2023, by the Montreal police (SPVM) for his alleged participation in a network of fraudsters targeting seniors – known as a grandparent scam.
The man was sentenced to 36 months last week.
Evidence gathered during the investigation showed that the individual had been involved as a mule in a dozen grandparent-type frauds between Aug. 29 and Sept. 29, 2023.
The fraudster managed to obtain nearly $60,000 from his victims living in Montreal.
The scam included calling the victims, all elderly people, and claiming to be their grandchild. He would then tell the victim that he was imprisoned and quickly needed money to pay his bail. An accomplice would then come to the victim’s address to collect money or bank cards.
An investigation is ongoing into the involvement of other individuals in the same criminal network.
Prevention
Police caution that families should inform themselves about the tell-tale signs of grandparent scams, such as urgency to send money, out-of-character behaviour or any threats.
They also recommend families consider using secret code words in order to authenticate a person or to warn against possible danger. If you are questioning whether or not the person you are talking to is your family member, simply hang up and call them using their phone number.
If you have been a victim of fraud, you can get help and file a complaint by contacting your
neighbourhood police station. In the event of an emergency, call 911.
You can also contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report fraud by calling 1-888-495-8501 or directly on their website.
