York Regional Police said officers launched an investigation in March after four people reported that they had fallen victim to an alleged grandparent scam.

Police in Guelph, Ont., have charged a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl in connection to a series of so-called grandparent scams preying on elderly people.

People seeking to bring parents or grandparents to Canada this year were reportedly paying up to $400 to ensure their applications were at the top of the pile for the first-come, first served federal immigration program