2 charged in connection with 'grandparent scam' on P.E.I.
Police believe duo from Chile could be tied to similar incidents in New Brunswick
A man and a woman have been charged on P.E.I. in relation to an incident of what's known as "the grandparent scam."
"It's good to be able to bring these individuals into custody and keep them from exploiting additional individuals," Charlottetown Police Chief Brad MacConnell said in an interview Thursday afternoon.
In a news release, Charlottetown Police Services said they were contacted Tuesday afternoon by a man who said his grandmother had been phoned by someone claiming to be a bail bondsman.
The elderly woman was told her grandson had been in a car accident involving a pregnant woman, and $5,000 was needed to get him out of jail.
The caller told her to go to the bank and take out the money, after which someone would visit to collect it.
But when 26-year-old Luis Luciano David Cortez Abarca arrived to pick up the money around 3:30 p.m., he was met by several Charlottetown police units who arrested him without incident.
The police chief gave credit to the woman who received the phone call for doing the right thing.
"They communicated with the loved one that was supposedly making the call, and made the right choice by engaging police," MacConnell said.
Tied to other scams in region?
Charlottetown Police also spoke with their counterparts in the province's second-biggest city, Summerside, and found that they were investigating similar incidents reported on Monday.
Police determined a woman was also involved, and 25-year-old Genesis Javiera Carvajal Tapia was arrested Wednesday at a motel in Borden-Carleton.
"We take it very seriously. Those that exploit our most vulnerable — especially our elderly people — deserve to be held accountable," MacConnell said.
The police news release said the two accused, who are from Chile, had been travelling in a rental vehicle from New Brunswick. It said similar incidents were also being investigated in four areas of that province: Miramichi, Bathurst, Campbelltown and Caraquet.
"We're realizing that the people we have in custody are probably responsible for other incidents," said MacConnell. "Because of that, we've released their photos and names and hope to certainly bring any outstanding matters to closure."
Additional police forces in other parts of the Maritimes have been alerted about the arrests as well, in case similar grandparent scams have occurred in their areas of jurisdiction.
Search leads to seizure of 5 cellphones
MacConnell said it can sometimes be hard to arrest people in these types of scams because the victims are pressed to act very quickly, and either send money electronically or buy gift cards with serial numbers that are then shared with the criminals.
"A lot of times, the individuals are not from the jurisdiction or do not reside full-time in the jurisdiction that they're pulling the scams in. So sometimes it's hard to identify them," he said.
The news release said a search warrant was executed inside the Borden-Carleton motel room, where five cellphones, several computer devices, and cash were seized as part of the investigation.
Cortez and Tapia have been charged with fraud under $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 relating to the Charlottetown incident and a second incident that was reported to police later that day. They are being held in custody and will appear in Charlottetown provincial court for a show-cause hearing Friday.
Police say the investigation is still in the early stages, and charges are expected to be laid in Summerside as well.
Anyone who believes they have been victimized by the people who were charged is being encouraged to contact local police.
"It can sound very convincing," MacConnell said of this type of crime. "As Islanders and Canadians, we always try to help people. So the individuals that are using these techniques are trying to exploit that kindness."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
with files from Laura Meader