Seniors were allegedly scammed into handing over their bank cards to a minor in some 30 fraud cases north of Montreal, authorities said Thursday.
Laval police say the suspect, who cannot be identified due to his age, was recently arrested in what they describe as a new ruse. They believe there could be more fraud victims in the Montreal region.
Police say the suspect reportedly targeted his victims, mainly the elderly, by calling them under the guise of being an employee from the bank.
The suspect would tell them their bank cards were frauded. Police say that upon gaining their trust, he asked them to place their cards in an envelope and write the PIN number on the back.
“He subsequently told them that a courier would pick up their cards at their residence,” police said in a statement. “Once recovered, they were used to commit fraud at bank counters as well as in businesses.”
“Simon Cloutier” and “Simon Blais” were among the fake names used by the courier who went to the victims’ homes.
Police say in some cases the suspect called the victims back so they could “speak directly with a real representative of their financial institution in order to reactivate their card which had been blocked on the suspicion of fraud.”
“Everything would have been carried out within the framework of a conference call with several parties,” police said.
Investigators identified about 30 cases related to the scam in the Laval area, but believe more people could have been defrauded.
Police advise never giving personal information to a stranger, saying banks and governments will not directly contact people for it by telephone or email. Bank employees will also never go to your home to collect your debit or credit cards.
When in doubt, police say it’s best to confidentially contact your financial institution by calling their official numbers.
Investigators are asking anyone with any information about the scam to contact 450 662-4636 or call 911. The file number is LVL-240410-054.
— with files from The Canadian Press