Hamilton Police have arrested two male fraudsters from Quebec for a Grandparents Scam, after they exploited a 94-year-old man.

On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, the victim, a 94-year-old man of Hamilton, began receiving phone calls from a male impersonating an RCMP police officer. The victim was told that his grandson was arrested for having a large quantity of drugs in his vehicle and was in police custody. The scammer then demanded the victim pay a $120,000 bond to release his grandson.

Another male, posing as the victim’s grandson, came on the phone franticly pleading with the victim to pay the bond, so that he could be released from police custody. Worried about his grandson, the victim agreed to pay a portion of the demanded bond money, as it was all he had at the time.

The monetary losses sustained were minimized by the financial institution that stepped in when the victim attempted to obtain money from their account.

Later that same day, a female playing the role of a court courier, attended the victim’s residence and collected the money. The victim was advised there was a court imposed ‘gag order’, and he was not permitted to notify anyone of what happened or his grandson would remain in prison.

On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, the victim received more phone calls from the suspects demanding the remainder of the bond money. The suspects directed the victim to place the money in an envelope at an undisclosed location. At this point, the victim became suspicious and notified the Hamilton Police Service

 Hamilton Police have arrested two males for the following charges:

Police are seeking at least one additional suspect, believed to be a female, for their involvement in this crime.

The public is reminded that it is not the practice of any police service to collect money for court purposes.

If you have any information that you believe could assist police with the investigation into this crime, you are asked to contact Detective Angela Abrams at 905-546-4603 or Staff Sergeant Oliver Mann 905-546-3841 of the Hamilton Police Financial Crimes Unit.  

To provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at http://www.crimestoppershamilton.com