$37,000 in Durham grandparent scams lead to four arrests including men from Brampton, Hamilton
Published December 7, 2022 at 3:36 pm
Four people have been arrested in the investigation of several separate grandparent scams in Durham Region and across the GTA.
Throughout November Durham Regional Police investigated a rash of scams targeting seniors, referred to by law enforcement as “grandparent scams.”
As is common in such scams, in each case an elderly resident got a phone call from someone pretending to be their grandchild or a police officer. The caller then tells the target their grandchild has been ensnared in a police investigation, usually an accident, and needs money for bail.
The caller then arranges for a person to head to the grandparent’s address posing as a bondsman to claim the ill-gotten gains. This is a common fraud method with numerous instances in Durham over the last year.
As a result, Durham police have shared numerous warnings about the process.
In the most recent spate of scams, three seniors were defrauded of between $8,000 and $11,000. In total the recent scams cost those victims a collective $37,000. However, police believe there may be other victims who have yet to come forward.
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Police arrested four people in connection to the scams.
Dominique Alexander-Connell, 22 of Brampton, is charged with participation in a criminal organization, fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds obtained by crime over $5,000.
Kamer Minto, 20 of Hamilton, and Fuad Jama, 27 of no-fixed-address, have been charged with the same.
David Maah, 23 of St-Laurent, Quebec has also been charged with those offense in addition to a count of possession of a forged passport.
“Residents who receive any unanticipated requests for money to be extremely cautious and speak to a family member or trusted advisor for support. Please speak to the seniors in your life and remind them of these scams,” police said.
Anyone with information pertinent to the investigation can call D/Cst. Middleton of the DRPS – Financial Crimes Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5321..
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