Thirteen individuals were arrested in Quebec in connection with the activities of a criminal organization specializing in “grandparent” type fraud, whose victims are mainly located in the United States.
According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the arrests were made in Montreal, Laval, Saint-Laurent, Kirkland and Chambly. The operation is being carried out by the unit responsible for investigating murders and disappearances linked to organized crime, in collaboration with the National Squad for the Repression of Organized Crime and the Economic Crimes Investigation Department. American authorities were also involved in the investigation.
The individuals arrested are all men, aged between 26 and 43, Sergeant Catherine Bernard, spokesperson for the SQ, said in an interview. Arrests have also been made in the United States, according to Sergeant Bernard.
The operation mobilized more than 50 police officers from the SQ, the City of Montreal Police Service, the Laval police and the Richelieu–Saint-Laurent Intermunicipal Police Board, the provincial police force said in a press release. .
In the case of a “grandparent” type scam, the fraudster communicates with his prey, often a vulnerable elderly person, and claims an emergency.
According to Sergeant Bernard, the fraudsters had created a list of elderly people residing in the United States. They would then contact them pretending to be a family member, usually a grandchild, who might find themselves in an emergency situation for which payment, such as a deposit, is necessary.
According to Sergeant Bernard, another person who presented himself as an officer of the law then went to the victim’s house to collect the money.
The phenomenon is on a “marked increase” in the country, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center.