In recent weeks, the Sûreté du Québec has seen an increase in the number of people in Victoriaville, Drummondville, as well as in several sectors of Québec, who reported being approached or even victims of various emergency room or grandparent fraud schemes in Center-du-Québec and Mauricie has a well-known bank card recovery system in place. You should be wary of anyone claiming to work for a financial institution.
Three initial suspects were arrested yesterday, Tuesday, June 27, around 12:15 p.m. Thanks to the vigilance of an on-the-go investigator from the MRC d’Arthabaska station, three suspects were arrested for bank card fraud on rue de la Paix in Victoriaville in the Centre-du-Québec region says Sergeant Valérie Beauchamp, spokeswoman for the Sureté-du-Québec.
A first suspect was first spotted leaving an apartment on Rue de la Paix in Victoriaville. He had just seized an envelope containing a fraud victim’s bank cards by posing as a false representative of a financial institution explains the spokesman of the SQ.
The suspect then drove away in a vehicle with two other people on board. The police quickly intercepted the vehicle. The three men, aged between 19 and 23, were arrested and released on summons.
During the operation, police seized an envelope containing the victim’s bank cards, an air pistol and cannabis.
Grandparents and Emergency Scam, two suspects caught in the act in Acton Vale
The vigilance of a cashier clerk and the swift intervention of SQ police officers led to the arrest of two other scammers who were caught red-handed.
Another arrest was made this time around 2:15 p.m. Police officers from Acton MRC have been called to an attempted grandparent scam in Acton Vale. An 86-year-old woman was contacted by someone posing as a lawyer. The trick used was related to a production in which his “grandson” was involved. A highly frequented fraud case by Vingt55 in the Drummondville area, where scammers robbed the elderly or vulnerable and claimed an emergency following an arrest following what they believed to be a serious accident.
Once again, the victim was contacted by scammers and told that his grandson was allegedly involved in a collision and that he would need $6,250 out of $100 to bail and be released.
Worried, the lady goes to a financial institution and tries to withdraw the money in question. The clerk strangely wonders the reason for such a withdrawal.
She suspects a possible fraud and informs the lady. The latter returns home and talks about it with a member of her family, who turns to the Sûreté du Québec. When police arrived, the suspect called the lady again to give her clear instructions on how to deliver the envelope containing the money. The latter plays the game so the police can catch the scammer in the act.
At around 2:30 p.m., a 19-year-old woman arrived at the scene to collect the alleged envelope. At that time, the police arrested him. A vehicle was located not far from the event and intercepted by the police. The driver, a 23-year-old man, was also arrested in connection with the incident. Both suspects were released with a promise to appear.
Thanks to the vigilance of everyone involved, two people were arrested before more casualties were reported.
Bank card fraud, vigilance required
These calls are fraudulent. Financial institutions do not communicate with citizens using your passwords to recover bank and debit cards.