Calgary man charged with fraud, alleged victims come forward

A Calgary man is facing dozens of fraud- and theft-related charges after what police call a tech and romance scam, to swindle what investigators tally as $25,000 from unsuspecting victims.

But some say the consequences amount to much more than that.

“When you find out you’re scammed, you’re ashamed to tell people because people will say you’re greedy, stupid, and you’re just embarrassed, so you choose to tell nobody,” said Ryan Massel, who claims was scammed out of thousands of dollars.

Massel alleges someone who said he worked for Apple offered him a discount on products sold by the tech company.

“Once he takes your money then he brings in the family of reasons why he can’t pay, or things are delayed, or why life is hard. He’s buying time after he takes your money,” said Massel.

Massel supplied CityNews with text conversations between him and a person believed to be Bryan Syryda, as well as a photo of the accused in the hospital. Massel claims he received the photo when he asked where the products he thought he was buying were.

Massel says he heard about this person from what he believed was a mutual friend. It turned out his friend didn’t know the accused at all.

“The words back to me were, ‘I’m sorry … he’s stolen from me too.'”

Massel and a few others brought this to the attention of Calgary police in 2019.

“Unless we talk about this, there are so many more people that this will happen to,” he said.

Related article: Calgary man facing charges in B.C., Alberta romance scams

Blaire Wortley says she met someone on Tinder and was also swindled out of money. In her case, she only lost about $90. Wortley alleges in this case, the man forgot his wallet on their first date and promised to e-transfer her the cash to cover it later.

But Wortley claims that money never came.

“So a week later, I asked him again about it and he was like, ‘Oh I’m sorry, let me look into it.’ He went as far as screenshotting conversations with his bank,” she told CityNews.

That was enough for Wortley to think twice. Her friend later found a post on Facebook warning people about Syryda. That made Wortley end things, but also start an open Facebook group about him.

“You couldn’t find anything about him, and all you have in online dating is Google and social media,” she told CityNews.

Calgary police have charged 36-year-old Syryda with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Potential victims have been reported in Calgary, Langley, Surrey, Delta, and Cochrane.

Additional charges are pending.

Syryda is expected in court March 29. Police are asking for any other potential victims of fraud to contact them at 403.266.1234.