A multi-force police operation out of Quebec and Ontario was active searching 22 locations on Thursday, expecting to hand out more than two dozen arrest warrants for fraud related to “false representation” schemes.
Quebec provincial police (SQ), along with Montreal, Longueuil and Toronto police officers, were in Sherbrooke, Brossard, Montreal, Laval, Toronto and other Quebec locations as part of an investigation that began in 2023, involving more than 250 officers and civilian resources.
They expect to meet with or arrest 28 people.
“‘False representative’ fraud is a ploy that consists of phoning a senior citizen on his or her home line, pretending to be a representative of a financial institution,” the SQ said in a news release. “During the call, the representative says that he or she has spotted potential fraud in the victim’s bank account.”
Victims are asked to hand over bank cards and PINs to the fake representative, who will eventually try to withdraw money or make purchases.
The SQ is asking anyone with information on these types of schemes to call its info centre at 1-800-659-4264.
The SQ reported on Wednesday that officers arrested five suspects in Laval and Montreal after an investigation into a similar scheme.
Police and financial institutions remind the public not to give out banking information on the phone and never give a bank or credit card to anyone who arrives at your door.