Fourteen people in Montreal have been arrested in relation to an emergency grandparent scam that has led to seniors across Canada losing more than $2.2 million since February 2022, the OPP said Thursday.Â
In the scam, someone pretending to be an officer or lawyer would falsely claim to have the victim’s grandchild or family member in custody. On the phone, they would request bail money for the family member’s release.
In most cases, police said, unsuspecting couriers or “money mules” were used to collect the money and the victims were told not to discuss this with anyone due to a “gag order” they said was in effect.
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The “extremely organized crime group” impersonated police officers, judges, law enforcement and loved ones of the victims, OPP Det. Insp. Sean Chatland told media in a press conference Thursday. He added that it took a significant period of time for the police to understand how the group operated due to their “deliberate and methodical approach.”
In the first four months of 2024, 126 identified victims lost approximately $739,000 to the scam. Fifteen of these victims were scammed multiple times, OPP said. More than $559,000 worth of losses have been prevented or recovered with assistance from financial institutions, police said.
Majority of the victims live in Ontario, with ages ranging from 46 to 95 years old.
Speaking to media, OPP Dep. Commissioner Marty Kearns said that the real losses incurred from this scam may be much higher, since it is estimated that only five to 10 per cent of fraud victims reach out to the authorities.
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“Victims were coerced through manipulative tactics to make payments and were further isolated by the threat of a gag order to silence any discussion of the situation,” Kearns said. He added that some victims were “aggressively threatened” if they didn’t pay immediately.
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The fraud was “mentally and financially life-altering” for victims, Chatland said.
In September 2022, OPP started a probe into a group allegedly involved in the fraud. In February 2023, the probe was formalized as a joint forces operation called “Project Sharp,” led by the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch and consisted of 11 police forces from Ontario and Quebec. A number of GTA police departments were a part of the task force, including York, Toronto, Peel and Durham police services.
Between April 10-16, the task force arrested 14 individuals and laid 56 charges as a result of the investigation, OPP said in a press release. Four of the arrested individuals remain in custody, Chatland said.
Charges include criminal organization, fraud, extortion and impersonating peace officer.
