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A fourth victim of an Edmonton man who travelled to Manitoba from Alberta and allegedly defrauded seniors of more than $50,000 has been identified, police say.
The man, 29, is now accused of defrauding four people in their 80s by pretending to be a grandson in distress, police said Thursday.
Between August 17 and 18, police say, the fourth senior received phone calls from someone posing as their grandson who claimed he had been arrested and needed bail money.
The senior agreed to pay, and the caller went to their home several times to pick up money, credit cards and jewellery worth a total of $14,000, police allege.
On Monday, police arrested the man at the Remand Centre and charged him with fraud over $5,000 and the unauthorized use of a credit card.
The man had been charged previously with fraud over $5,000, two counts of fraud under $5,000, and one count each of possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Those charges stem from scam calls made between Aug. 17-22 in which three seniors were targeted with a similar story about their grandson needing bail money before the caller came to retrieve valuables worth a total $37,000, police said previously.
The suspect remains in custody.
Following his arrest, he was also charged with sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon and sexual interference after investigators determined the man had brought a teenage girl with him to Winnipeg, police said.
The girl was returned home, police said.
Winnipeg police encourage people who believe they’ve been scammed to report it online.
They advise anyone who believes they or a loved one might be a victim of a grandparent or emergency scam in particular to contact the financial crimes unit at 204-986-6231.
If you suspect a call might be fishy, police advise you to hang up and report it.