A 60-year-old from the South Shore who was robbed of no less than $4,500 in a “grandparents” type fraud wants to alert vulnerable people to be extra vigilant when the phone rings.
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“I want to warn the elderly. They must not take it for granted that all the calls are true, ”warns Yves Clercin, 66 years old and benevolent.
The resident of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville maintains that he was not “naive” in responding to a fraudulent call that “played with his emotions” on August 3.
“Anyone can be trapped. He did it right, man. He was crying, says the one who thought he recognized the voice of his grandson, at the end of the line. I asked if it was Louis-Philippe. It was my mistake.”
Creating a sense of urgency, his interlocutor told him that he had been in a car accident. He thus needed $4,500 to pay his bail.
“When we are taken by the emotions, we forget the essential, believes Mr. Clercin. Besides, my grandson doesn’t even have a car. How could he have had an accident?
The latter therefore listened to the indications of the fraudster. At her suggestion, he called the so-called “lawyer for his grandson, who used lots of legal terms.”
sleazy young woman
The retired beneficiary attendant then went to the bank to withdraw the required amount. On top of that, the stress caused him to inadvertently put the $500 he had taken out for his personal expenses in the envelope.
Moments later, a young woman he found “shady” knocked on his door to collect the money.
“Given that she was physically young, I found it strange,” says Mr. Clercin, who hastened to photograph her with his tablet, as a precaution.
Courtesy picture
The suspect wanted by the Longueuil police.
“The lawyer kept talking on the line. I had trouble concentrating,” he continues, to explain the distress caused by this stratagem.
Quickly realizing that he had slipped his $500 into the envelope, the 60-year-old tried to call “the lawyer” back, but the number was already non-existent.
“That’s when I knew I had been had,” says the grandfather, not very optimistic about having his savings back. But a scalded cat is worth two. They won’t have me anymore.”
other victims
The Longueuil agglomeration police department (SPAL) is also looking for the twenty-year-old suspect photographed by Mr. Clercin. The police believe it is “highly possible” that she used the same scheme against other victims.
“Don’t give out personal information. Ask questions that only your loved one would be able to answer, ”suggests the police force.
► Anyone with information can contact SPAL anonymously at 450-463-7100, extension 2598.