'I've always been honest,' says 82-year-old tricked out of savings

An elderly Calgary woman tricked out of most of her life savings by a man claiming to be a bank investigator calls the fraud "despicable."

The 82-year-old woman, who asked not to be named, said she trusted the fraudster, who claimed he needed help catching bank employees who were stealing from her account.

"It's so despicable, because I always looked after my money. I've always been honest. I am so honest that when something comes in the mail and the stamp isn't marked, I won't even re-use it."

The woman said it was out of character of her to hand over money and the contents of her safety deposit box to a stranger.

"He was a real professional," she said. "I often say 'I smell a rat' [when] someone talks to me about some scheme, but the main thing he did was rush you."

Calgary police released photos on Tuesday of a man captured on surveillance camera in Winnipeg who "may have information on similar incidents."

"Calgary police would like to locate this individual to determine whether he has information on this case," said police in a statement.

Police across Canada have reported 42 such incidents with a similar-sounding suspect since 2004, said Calgary police Sgt. Shawn Goertzen.

Woman told she was helping catch a thief

"An innocent elderly person who has worked hard and saved money has been cleaned out," he said. "It's appalling. It's pathetic."

The man first contacted the woman by phone on Nov. 27. She was told that a bank employee was stealing from her and he needed help to catch the thief, police said.

The man told the woman to immediately withdraw $5,000 in cash from her bank in northwest Calgary and meet him on the sidewalk a block away from the bank to hand off the money.

"She was told this would help bank investigators trap the bank staff, and that her money would be kept safely in another account," police said in a release.

The man tricked the woman two more times into meeting him that day and she turned over cash and the contents of her safety deposit box, gold coins values at over $50,000.

The man appeared rushed during the interactions and talked about a covert operation involving surveillance cameras to catch the bank staff, police said.

The woman said she contacted police after the man didn't follow up on his promise to meet her at the bank later in the week for a cup of coffee and new bank books.

Police described the suspect as a Caucasian male, about 55 years old, who was well dressed, clean cut and of average build with no discernable accent.

On Tuesday, police asked Calgarians to remind elderly family members especially to be wary of such requests.

"Police remind the public to be vigilant, and to be suspicious of anyone asking them to withdraw money or hand over valuable items," they said.