(Montreal) The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have arrested several individuals linked to a major network of fraudsters operating across the country. This group linked to organized crime may have stolen at least $2.2 million over the past two years from vulnerable people using a scheme known as grandparent fraud.
The alleged thieves arrested in the wake of the project called SHARP face around fifty charges, including extortion and fraud.
“This is an unacceptable crime that causes emotional harm. We are attacking the finances of people who have worked all their lives,” denounced Benoit Dubé, deputy director general of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), in a press briefing Thursday morning.
The suspects are Ontarians aged between 24 and 34 years old. However, they live in Montreal. According to police, they targeted vulnerable and elderly people by telephone. During the call, they pretended to be judges, lawyers or even police officers. They allegedly claimed that a member of the victim’s family had been kidnapped, demanding a ransom. They allegedly extracted large sums of money from the targeted seniors using this completely fabricated story.
The lying scenario often featured the kidnapping of the victim’s granddaughter or grandson. The alleged fraudsters found information on social networks concerning the family of the targeted person, making everything more realistic. “They used a lot of the sense of urgency, there was a certain pressure put on the victims,” summarized Benoit Dubé.
According to our information, the individuals trapped the victims from a call center which never remained in the same place, traveling between the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
These suspects would have frequented cafes and would have been recruited after accumulating debts with the mafia, our sources say.
Victims across the country
Police forces have identified 126 targeted people across Canada, mainly in Ontario. Nearly $739,000 was allegedly stolen from these victims. Among the citizens defrauded, around fifteen were defrauded several times.
Traditional Italian organized crime supported this fraud structure.
Benoit Dubé, Sûreté du Québec
Authorities believe that this organized crime cell could have pocketed nearly $2.2 million in Quebec and Ontario via this fraudulent scheme since February 2022.
The investigation begun in 2022 resulted in 14 arrests. Currently, four people are detained. It took time for authorities to identify the alleged bandits and understand how they operated. “It was a very well-rounded group. The involvement of organized crime in this type of crime was new to us,” explained Sean Shatland of the OPP.
Fraud remains a crime where victims rarely report, admitted Mr. Shatland. “It is estimated that only 5 to 10% of frauds are reported to us. »
In total, 11 police forces, including the SPVM and the SQ, took part in the SHARP project, headed by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
With Daniel Renaud, The Press
List of people arrested
- Matthew Malla, 30 years old, Montreal (Saint-Laurent)
- Michel Beauchamp, 25 years old, Montreal (Lachine)
- Giordano De Luca, 24 years old, Laval
- Damian Defresne, 25 years old, Montreal (Pierrefonds)
- Francesco Garinacciomodafferi, 26 years old, Laval
- Franco Gallucci, 30 years old, Laval
- Jonathan Goral, 27 years old, Dollard-des-Ormeaux
- Christopher Melchiorre, 26 years old, Laval
- Stefano Caucci, 25 years old, Montreal (LaSalle)
- Matthew Marrone, 26 years old, Pointe-Claire
- Brandon Colella, 27 years old, Laval
- Erin Rud, 33 years old, Montreal (Lachine)
- Samuel Ferron, 25 years old, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
- Steven Chodjai, 36 years old, Montreal