A trio of Quebec men previously charged with several fraud-related offences in Saskatoon earlier this month are now facing charges of organized crime as of Jan. 19.
In January, the Saskatoon Police Service began notifying the public of family/grandparent scam that had cost residents a total of over $100, 000.
“These crimes, they involve the leverage and urgency, a sense of panic, and they prey on the emotions of people that are vulnerable in our community,” said Supt. Patrick Nogier.
Officers said they had received reports where an elderly person gets a call or knock on their door from someone claiming they knew of one of their family members in an emergency situation and needing money for bail or hospital bills.
The suspects were walking away with between $8,000 and $20,000.
“When they’re approaching elderly individuals and they’re preying on emotion, emotion of family members, maybe between some people not having a really good connection with their grandchildren,” Nogier said.
On Jan. 10, 25-year-old Quebec man Ahmad Ebadi was arrested in Saskatoon and was believed to be responsible for numerous frauds dating back to Dec. 21, 2022.
Two more arrests were made in connection with the scam on Jan. 11, resulting in charges laid to 25-year-old man Sofyane Elgamal and 26-year-old man Cedric Oligny, both from Quebec.
Each man is facing 14 charges of fraud over $5,000. Other charges between the group include committing offences for the benefit of a criminal organization, trafficking of stolen property, and recruiting for a criminal organization.
Police confirmed that as of Jan. 19, the investigation is still ongoing.
They said it is too early to know whether the victims will get their money back.