A man from Quebec is facing charges after allegedly defrauding a Calgary senior of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a cryptocurrency scam.
Calgary police began investigating in 2022 when a victim became suspicious of someone purporting to be her grandson and asking for payments.
Investigators say the victim was contacted in June of that year by someone posing as her grandson. The suspect claimed to be facing drug charges after getting into a car crash.
The suspect asked the victim to call his lawyer, who then directed her to make daily payments for fake bail and legal charges. The purported lawyer was also part of the scam, according to police.
The victim deposited funds from her bank account into bitcoin ATMs over a period of six weeks, police say. More than 300 deposits were made totalling more than $300,000.
The victim eventually reported the incident to police.
Investigators were able to identify a suspect who lived in Quebec. Calgary police, along with help from the Longueuil Police Service just outside of Montreal, executed search warrant a home and business in the Montreal-area.
A 34-year-old man from Brossard, Quebec is facing several charges including fraud over $5,000, money laundering, and two counts of identity theft.
The accused will appear in court in August.
Calgary police reminding residents to be vigilant
Calgary police are out with the following tips to help residents avoid financial scams:
- Be suspicious of unexpected and unusual phone calls, especially ones demanding some form of urgent action, financial or otherwise.
- Do not share personal details, financial information or send money to the unknown caller.
- Officers will never ask you to transfer money, cryptocurrency or gift cards as part of an investigation or suggest transactions as a way to guard your finances
“We continue to remind the public to be aware of cryptocurrency scams,” reads a statment from CPS acting staff Sgt. Gary Novokowsky. “Fraudsters are increasingly impersonating family members, lawyers, or members of law enforcement agencies to manipulate victims, particularly seniors, into believing a loved one is in trouble.”
Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of a scam, or has been contact by fraudsters, is being urged to call police at 403-266-1234, or submit tips anonymously to CrimeStoppers.