19-year-old Ontario woman charged in several ‘grandparent scams’

Toronto police say they have charged a 19-year-old Ajax, Ont., woman in three “grandparent” scams over a two-day period.

Investigators said that on March 24, a 78-year-old woman was contacted by a person claiming to be her grandson who said he had been arrested and was calling from a police station.

The phone was passed to another man who posed as a police officer, police said. The “officer” told the woman that her grandson needed cash for him to be released from custody. The woman was to then get the cash from the bank.

The suspect, a young woman, went to the victim’s home to collect the money, police said.

Police referred to it as a “grandparent” scam.

An 83-year-old man was also contacted on the same day with the same scam, repeated in the same way, police said.

Then, the following day on March 25, police said that the 83-year-old man was contacted again by someone claiming to be an “associate” of the officer from the day before.

The victim was told there was an issue with the bail money and that more money is needed, police said.

Police said an arrest was made when the young woman went to the man’s home to collect the money.

Michelle Jordan, a 19-year-old woman from Ajax, was arrested.

She is charged with three counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of possession of proceeds obtained by crime over $5,000.

Police said the investigation is ongoing to identify the other individuals involved in the scam.

Investigators have said that since 2021, there have been more than 100 occurrences of this type of scam targeting seniors in Toronto.

Five people have been arrested since December 2021 for five separate incidents, police said.

The Toronto Police Service said anyone who receives this type of call should contact police.

“Law enforcement officials will Never contact family members and request money for bail or send someone to their home to pick up money,” police said.