Two men from Montreal were arrested and charged in St. Thomas, Ont., in relation to a recent “grandparent scam” that occurred in the city.
On Monday, a couple in St. Thomas was contacted over the phone and told that their nephew has been arrested and required $10,000 for bail.
According to police, the couple was taken by surprise and withdrew the funds only to have second thoughts. Police were contacted and officers from the Criminal Investigations Branch were able to coordinate the arrest of the suspects.
Community patrol officers stopped the suspect’s vehicle after it attended the home to retrieve the money. Both suspects were taken into custody without incident, police said.
According to police, Gabriel Knesevitch, 20, and Nazaire Cherubin, 20, both of Montreal, have been charged with fraud over $5,000. They were transported to the Colin McGregor Justice Building in St. Thomas for processing and held for a court appearance.
Cons. Tanya Calvert, corporate communications coordinator for the St. Thomas police is advising the public to not “trap” suspects for the sake of investigators.
“We’re not promoting that anyone take this on,” Calvert said. “The best response is to hang up and call your family to double-check the story.”
For more information on regularly circulating scams visit www.antifraudcentre.ca
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