Fraudster targets North Vancouver senior
Posted February 1, 2012 2:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NORTH VANCOUVER(NEWS1130)- Fraudsters lined their pockets with $6,000 from a North Vancouver man over several days in January.
They posed as the elderly victim’s niece to get the cash.
Police say the first call saw the so-called niece collect $2,500 after suggesting she was in an accident in Montreal and had to fix the other person’s car to avoid drunk driving charges.
“The niece was named, and he recognized the name, he actually thought it was her voice, and of course (the fraudster) then provided fictitious accounts for the lawyers and the so-called victim’s vehicle and whatnot, so they certainly were professional,” says RCMP Corporal Richard De Jong.
He adds after that first payment was wired, two more calls were made to get money for plane tickets and lawyer fees.
“So it was only when the North Shore resident actually contacted local family to inquire as to the well being of his niece, that he discovered that he had been defrauded of $6,000 by this unknown fraudster.”
De Jong warns you should always check with other family first, to verify distress stories before wiring any money in response to a phone call.
No arrests have been made in the case.
