SPVM makes arrests in seniors fraud cases

The SPVM’s Economic Crimes section arrested four people in connection with 100 instances of fraud targeting seniors in LaSalle, Verdun and the Sud-Ouest borough, the Montreal police announced Friday.

Police searched a condo on René-Lévesque Boulevard West, in downtown Montreal.

“Three of the apprehended suspects later appeared at the Montreal courthouse to face various charges of fraud and failure to comply with the terms of an undertaking,” the SPVM announcement says. “They are twin brothers Carl-René and Carl-Henri Moody, 20, and Jonathan Gresseau, 30. The three individuals will remain detained, awaiting trial. A fourth suspect, aged 21, was released on a promise to appear.”

The police pointed out that seniors in Anjou, Montreal North and Saint-Léonard were also targeted, and that suspects were arrested in those cases earlier this year.

“[It is important] to be vigilant in the face of this type of crime where fraudsters pose as employees of financial institutions. Their scheme consists first of all of phoning a vulnerable senior and making the senior believe that there has been a fraudulent transaction on his bank card. In an insistent tone, the false representative tells the victim that it is urgent to act to correct the situation and asks him to provide his personal identification number (PIN). The fraudster then tells the victim to insert his bank card inside an envelope and that a postman will pick up the envelope to bring it back to the financial institution. A uniformed accomplice then takes over and quickly shows up at the victim’s residence to retrieve the envelope and clear out.”

The SPVM offered some prevention tips:

• “Never trust what is written on your phone’s display, because fraudsters use applications that allow them to write the names of financial institutions.”

• “Never give personal information over the phone.”

• “Remember that financial institutions never ask their customers to hand over bank cards or reveal their personal identification number (PIN).”

• “Tell the person calling you that you will call them back. In 99 percent of cases, fraudsters will hang up because they do not want to give a number to reach them.”

• “Never give in to pressure.”

• “Always consult a member of your family or a trusted friend to validate the information received.”

• “If in doubt, do not hesitate to consult your financial institution – in person or using an official number – or your neighbourhood police station.”