Quebec men charged in Calgary ‘grandparent’ scams

Calgary police charged two men from Quebec in ongoing “grandparent” scams targeting local seniors.

Officers got a call from a Calgary senior Sept. 22 who said someone called him posing as his nephew and said he had been arrested.

The fraudster said he needed thousands of dollars in cash to get out on bail.

The scammer also told the senior he couldn’t talk to anyone about his supposed arrest. The senior then got another call from someone else claiming to be his nephew’s lawyer.

After calling his nephew and confirming he wasn’t arrested, the senior reported the scam attempt to police.

Officers then waited at the senior’s home to catch the scammers when they went to pick up the cash. Investigators identified and arrested a second suspect connected to the scam the next day.

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Police charged 39-year-old Nicky Cotroni-Bruno and Patrick Gill, both from Mascouche, Quebec, with one count each of defrauding a person over $5,000.

Both men were released by police pending their appearance in court, however, Cotroni-Bruno did not show up in court Monday, and police issued a warrant for his arrest.

He is described as 6’ tall, approximately 225 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

 

Investigators previously said scammers have defrauded Calgary seniors of more than $1.6 million in connection with the scams.

Police would like to remind Calgarians:

• Bail payments can only be paid in person at the courthouse or correctional centres and receipts will be issued.
• Only Canadian currency, debit and credit cards are accepted as payment. Gift cards, e-transfers and cheques are not accepted.
• Funds will never be transferred to other accounts.
• In the vast majority of situations, the person needing bail will make phone calls themselves to secure bail, not police.

For more information about “grandparent” scams and how to protect yourself from fraudsters, visit the Calgary Police Service website.

Anyone with information about scams is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or leave a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.