Seniors more than ever targeted by fraudsters, robbed of thousands of dollars and… never reimbursed. The Press has identified in a few days several cases of elderly people who have never recovered the stolen sums and feel abandoned and “double victimized” by their bank.
Jean-Guy Bisaillon placed all his trust in his financial institution, the Caisse populaire Desjardins. This was before he was a victim of fraud and was refused a reimbursement of $8,900 by the institution where he had invested his assets for more than 40 years.
Like many seniors, the 87-year-old man was trapped by a man posing as an investigator last October. The imposter then tells him that he has been defrauded. He is offered to keep his money safe. A stranger comes to pick him up by car. He was taken to a first Desjardins branch where he, without constraint, withdrew $4,400 over the counter. A few minutes later, he was taken to another location and $4,500 was given to him without the slightest question by the employee.
The fake investigator takes her money and abandons it on a sidewalk. He is then far from the seniors’ residence where he lives, disoriented and robbed of a large sum of money.
A variant of false representative type fraud, a scourge on the rise which targets the elderly.
Now I think I’m stupid, but at the time, I really thought I was helping the police in their investigation.
Jean-Guy Bisaillon
Mr. Bisaillon is far from being the only targeted senior to have been scammed and denied a refund.
Thérèse Lefebvre was also the victim of a similar ploy last fall. The criminal explains to her that she has just been the victim of fraud. The bank was therefore unable to withdraw the amount of his rent this month, according to his false scenario. “I wasn’t myself. He was talking to me about my rent and he knew exactly how much my rent was! »
A similar story happened with Ronald Robichaud last year. On the phone, a stranger convinced the 82-year-old man to withdraw $10,000 from the cash register. He was panicked. He did not attempt to obtain a refund, since he was quickly informed that the procedures were difficult.
“I’m so angry with myself. I feel stupid to have lost so much money,” he says.
“Able and willing”, according to the banks
Jean-Guy Bisaillon filed a police complaint, then took steps, with the help of his daughter Lucie Bisaillon, to get his money back shortly after being the victim of this costly scam.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Jean-Guy Bisaillon and Lucie Bisaillon
Despite a complaint to the Caisse’s fraud department and three meetings at his branch, including two with management, he was at an impasse until very recently. Clear refusal from the bank.
“We go so far as to tell him that he was at fault, because during the withdrawals, he said nothing that would make the cashiers understand that he was phished! », protests his daughter, Lucie Bisaillon.
“My father is doubly victimized by those who represent the institution he has trusted to invest his assets for decades,” continues Lucie Bisaillon, herself exhausted at having so little recourse. That’s why she was surprised last Tuesday to receive a call from the bank months after the fraud and the attempted reimbursement. After realizing that “this was a sensitive matter,” those responsible communicated their intention to compensate his father soon.
Lucie Bisaillon has the impression that her intention to publicize the affair made things happen, since even after several meetings, she was refused any reimbursement
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Lucie Bisaillon
It was not a pleasant experience for me or my father.
Lucie Bisaillon
She still questions the responsibility of employees of the Desjardins fund. His father always goes to the counter and never to the counter. He usually withdraws small amounts. A profile which does not correspond to the actions taken by Mr. Bisaillon under the influence of the fraudster, she underlines. “However, that day, no one lit it,” summarizes M.me Bisaillon.
In the event of fraud or scam, there is no guarantee of reimbursement for victims, explains Jean–Benoît Turcotti, spokesperson for Desjardins. The teams analyze each case individually according to “clear and well-defined” criteria to make their decision. There are procedures for people who would make several withdrawals from counters in a short time, he explains. “To maintain the effectiveness of the measures in place, we cannot disclose them. »
Victim blaming
“Would you say to a victim of another type of crime: Come on, you should have disbelieved the attacker? I wonder,” says Lucie Bisaillon.
The Press had exposed in mid-December the case of Colette Boucher, a 92-year-old lady defrauded in the same way. After the call from The Pressshe was finally entitled to a refund.
A judge from the Court of Quebec also recently denounced the seriousness of this type of crime by handing down a sentence against a young fraudster.
It is therefore possible to see the color of your money again. But what criteria are taken into account? The vulnerability of the victim? The circumstances of the crime? Its media coverage?
The various financial institutions questioned by The Press did not answer these questions.
Diane Lefebvre, daughter of Thérèse Lefebvre, is shocked to note the absence of clear guidelines regarding the reimbursement of victims. Some get their money back, others never. “It’s like a little bit in the customer’s head. Why one, but not the other? »
As her mother voluntarily withdrew the money, the bank refused any reimbursement, she was told in a letter.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Therese Lefebvre
I don’t think it’s okay to be a victim and to be told that it’s my fault.
Therese Lefebvre
At 89, she is disappointed to be abandoned by her financial institution, Caisse populaire Desjardins. “I have been a customer for 40 years. There, I am told at the end of my life that they cannot do anything for me. »
Feeling of shame
Victims of fraud often feel ashamed and guilty for having allowed themselves to be manipulated, according to Karine Mac Donald, public relations at the Crime Victim Assistance Center (CAVAC).
“When the banks put the blame on the victim, this feeling is exacerbated,” summarizes Mme Mac Donald.
Some victims see their retirement plans fall through and develop symptoms of anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts. Despite everything, fraud and the financial and psychological consequences are trivialized, she continues.
She adds that financial crimes are those that require the most administrative procedures and paperwork for the victim.
You have to listen and not judge. We should provide more training even for bank employees to know how to act with victims.
Karine Mac Donald, from CAVAC
The burden is indeed on the shoulders of the victim, according to Ronald Robichaud. “I don’t even feel like fighting. I don’t have children and I have been sick. I don’t have the energy,” he explains in an interview.
Energy. You need it to navigate the administrative twists and turns of the bank’s complaints department. A real labyrinth, where everyone passes the buck, describes Lucie Bisaillon. She spent long minutes on hold on the phone, being lugged from one department to another. It was the cross and the banner to convince the various speakers that his father delegated the task to him.
“We want my father to write the letters himself, to call the bank himself. But my father won’t speak. »
After the refusal, she continued to take steps without much hope.
“They are like blows in the water. It makes you wonder if they don’t want to wear us out. My brother and I don’t want to give up, we want to restore confidence in my father who was shaken by all of this. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Victims of fraud often have to deal with psychological after-effects.
“They stole my life”
Fraud victims don’t just lose money. They also lose part of their peace of mind and must deal with the psychological after-effects of this intrusive crime.
“I’m so cursed after [les fraudeurs]. They stole my life. »
Jean-Guy Bisaillon has not been the same since the fraud. He is neither depressed nor unhappy, of course, but he has developed a hypervigilance which isolates him, at an age when human contact remains important. He no longer wants to go on Facebook to check on the family, for fear of coming across a scam. He no longer answers the phone. He hides his personal belongings and his wallet. No more going to withdraw money alone.
He has even become suspicious of the employees of the RPA where he lives.
[Les fraudeurs] had my name and phone number. Anyone who lives here could be an accomplice.
Jean-Guy Bisaillon
He had great respect for the authorities, according to his daughter. Now, if a real police officer spoke to him, they would probably mistake him for an imposter. His trust in the bank was also damaged.
“It’s important at their age to maintain their pride and their autonomy,” believes Lucie Bisaillon.
Trust damaged
Thérèse Lefebvre has also lost a little of her independence since the fraud. “She no longer does transactions with Desjardins. It’s me who makes the transactions and there is a blockage: no more than $100 withdrawn per day, and only me who has a bank card,” explains his daughter Diane Lefebvre.
When the phone rings, her mother hangs up immediately if she doesn’t recognize the voice on the other end.
She also feels “spied on” and on her guard, since the impostor had information about her. He knew the exact amount of his rent.
“How do they know the amount? Do they have an accomplice at the bank? In my building? I can’t trust anyone anymore. »