Ontario Provincial Police say that Project Sharp, an interprovincial investigation into a so-called ‘grandparents scam’ that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects.
Police say seniors with a landline phone were targeted, with suspects pretending to be an officer or a lawyer and claiming to have the victim’s grandchild or family member in custody before requesting bail money.
A total of 56 charges have been laid and the suspects were all arrested in Montreal.
Police note that since January, investigators identified 126 victims who were defrauded out of roughly $739,000.
Of the 126 victims, 15 were re-victimized multiple times losing more than $243,000. Investigators have worked with financial institutions and the Canadian Bankers Association to prevent or recover more than $559,000 in losses.
Anyone who suspects they have been the victim of the emergency grandparent scam or any fraud is urged to contact their local police, the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers.
The complete list of charges can be found here- Project Sharp Charges
Written by: K. Freeman with files from the Canadian Press
