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A Quebec man already accused of defrauding a Manitoba senior is now facing additional charges in connection with cases in Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg, which police say have cost the victims a total of about $31,000.<\/p>\n
The Winnipeg Police Service said in March a person in their 80s was the target of a “grandparent scam,” after they got a call from someone pretending to be a justice official and claiming a relative of the senior had been arrested and needed money.<\/p>\n
A 24-year-old from Quebec was arrested in the Transcona area on March 17 and charged with one count of fraud under $5,000 and two counts of failing to comply with a probation order.<\/p>\n
Police in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie say they have now identified six more people in their 70s and 80s targeted by the scam: two in Portage la Prairie and four in Winnipeg, living in the Charleswood, North Kildonan and Windsor Park neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n
Between Feb. 17 and March 5, each victim reported getting a phone call from someone claiming to be their grandchild or nephew, saying they needed emergency bail money, Winnipeg police said in a news release on Monday.<\/p>\n
In most cases, the victims gave cash that a man picked up from their home.<\/p>\n
One of the victims didn’t have access to money and was convinced to provide jewelry instead, which a person picked up from their residence, police said.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old, who was being held at the Remand Centre in Winnipeg, has been re-arrested and charged with three more counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of fraud under $5,000.<\/p>\n