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Police in Moose Jaw say a woman from Montreal who was recently arrested in connection with several cases of the so-called “grandparent scam” was reportedly posing as a bail bondsperson in order to coerce cash from her victims.
According to police, officers in Moose Jaw fielded about 30 different calls last Wednesday from residents who said they had been contacted by someone perpetrating the scam.
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“Several residents had provided cash to a female suspect, who was posing as a bail bondsperson, collecting money,” the Moose Jaw Police Service said in a statement.
The “grandparent scam” sees fraudsters contact victims, who are usually seniors, and falsely claim that one of the victim’s family members is in trouble. They then ask for money in order to resolve the issue, often pressuring their victims to rush into the transaction by claiming their family member is in some type immediate danger or legal trouble.
In addition to the cases in Moose Jaw, police in Saskatoon said three residents of the Bridge City fell victim to the scam between March 17 and March 20.
“In all three cases, a woman attended to the victim’s homes and collected the money,” the police service said.
Veronique Charpentier, a 44-year-old Montreal woman, is now facing several charges of fraud over $5,000, and police released a photo of Charpentier, captured as she was allegedly perpetrating the scam, “in the event there were other frauds committed that have not yet been reported to police.”
Officers in Moose Jaw also executed a search warrant on Thursday, “seizing proceeds of crime relating to these allegations.”
The Moose Jaw Police Service reminded the public that police officers, judges, lawyers or jails will never contact citizens asking for money to bail their loved ones out of jail.
“MJPS would like to encourage anyone who believes they were the victim of this scam to contact their local police service, or MJPS at 306-694-7600,” the police service added.
