A 40-year-old Calgary man has been charged with fraud after duping a local senior out of thousands of dollars.
The Strathcona County RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) arrested the man after reports of frauds commonly known as the grandparent scam.
Investigators said on Monday, May 9 a victim received a call from a man claiming to be their grandson. The scammer told the victim they needed $8,000 U.S. for bail money and while on the phone, another man claiming to be a police officer corroborated the story and said the victim’s grandson was arrested for drug possession.
The victim was told a courier would come to their home to get the money and forward it to law enforcement.
Officers said a man showed up at the victim’s home and they gave him money, realizing later they had just fallen victim to a fraud after they had contacted their grandson.
The following day, the victim received another call asking for more money and arranged another pick-up at the home, but this time the victim reported it to RCMP.
Officers waited for the scammer to show up and arrested him on scene.
Jeb Trim, 40, of Calgary, was charged with fraud over $5,000.
Trim was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in Sherwood Park Provincial Court on June 1.
“These scammers will often obtain information from various social media platforms and the Internet to gather information about your family,” RCMP said in a release. “They use these personal details in order to convince the victim they are legitimate.”
RCMP believe there may be other victims in the case and are asking anyone with any information on more fraudulent behaviour to contact them immediately.
You can report your tips to 780-467-7741 or submit your tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at P3Tips.com or on the P3 Tips app.
This article was originally sourced by www.sherwoodparknews.com.
