An 86-year-old woman agreed to help the Sûreté du Québec arrest two suspects who were trying to defraud her in Montérégie.
• Also read: “Grandparent” scam: police raid in the Montreal area
• Also read: Victim of his grandmother: He draws attention to grandparent fraud
• Also read: Grandparent fraud: Montreal police search for victims
It all started when the octogenarian received a call from a fake police officer informing him that his grandson was incarcerated and needed more than $6,200 to pay his bail.
In a panic, the woman went to her financial institution to withdraw the requested amount to free her family member.
The financial institution’s employees immediately became vigilant and explained to him that this type of story seemed to conceal the origin of a fraud.
At home, the lady is greeted by people from her family who happened to show up at her house.
The latter decided to contact the Sûreté du Québec after the elder told them this story.
Police responded quickly and sent a sergeant to the scene.
According to her daughter’s statement, she then asked the octogenarian whether she was willing to play “bait” in order to lure the suspected fraudsters into a trap.
Angry at having believed in this fraud, the lady agreed to play her role and claimed her daughter “very convincingly.”
The 86-year-old woman then led the fake police officer to believe she had withdrawn the money and was ready to give it to him.
The suspect tells him that his colleague will pick up the package.
“A minute later she knocked on the door and came in,” explains the victim’s daughter, who says that after taking possession of the envelope, the suspect was arrested by the sergeant waiting in the hallway.
In this case, a 19-year-old woman and her alleged 23-year-old accomplice, who parked very close to the house, were arrested.
They were then released on a promise to appear in court.
This story takes place in a context where Quebec is facing an increase in this type of fraud, classified as “grandparent fraud”.
Thirteen suspects allegedly involved in a vast fraud network targeting the elderly were arrested in a police operation in the Montreal area yesterday.