Fake advisor, fake postman, real fraud

Emily Bilodo
Tap

“I can not believe I’m cheated,” said Marriott (fictional name), her throat trembling. The 80-year-old agreed to tell her story to warn potential victims, but she did not want to be named because of shame and fear that scammers would go after her.

In late January, Marriott receives a call from “Frederick Bouchard” who introduces himself as an adviser to Kais Deszardins. He tells her he used his credit card fraudulently at the gas station.

The fake Mr. Bouchard said he needed Marriott’s personal identification numbers (PINs) to quickly block his cards and prevent criminals from making other transactions.

Marriott has doubts. She asks him to explain the transactions she made on January 13, to confirm that her interlocutor was in fact a Desjardines employee. “He gave the exact amounts of the two withdrawals and the deposit for the nearest cent,” she was still in shock.

The advisor reiterates that he needs his PINs to block his debit and credit cards. “I gave him my passwords, my codes, everything. He was able to keep me light with the details of my transactions, ”she sighed.

Marriott is not at the end of her ordeal. At her retirement home in Lagalle, the bogus adviser suggested that she return her bank cards to the Kies Desjardins branch or take the Canada Post factor to her home. Marriott has no car. She chooses to hand over her cards to the alleged postman.

“The first thing to make sure I’re wearing a Canada Post uniform. He’s at least six feet tall. He’s wearing a black coat with a postal logo on his chest. He took my envelope and left without saying anything,” Marriott said. The footage was captured by a home surveillance camera and handed over to police.

The 80-year-old woman returned to her apartment, where a fake Desjardins employee was waiting on the phone.

The fraudsters went to a nearby ATM. They withdrew 3,300, in two cards. Deszardins reimbursed the victim.

Multiplication of fraud

From January 11 to 26, fraudsters caught 28 people in Laval, the Laval police department said. That’s almost two victims a day. The amount of fraud is between $ 500 and, 500 5,500.

Fraudsters outside Laval are also prevalent, as confirmed by the police department of the city of Montreal and Cerటేte du Quebec, which does not include statistics on the number of victims and the amount of fraud.

Om^{To me} Boudreau could not explain how the fraudsters got the details of the victims’ transactions. Marriott receives her account statements online, always by mail. “The investigation may show it, but we don’t have that information right now.”

At Desjardines, we confirm that this is a “known conspiracy” that affects other financial institutions. “Fraudsters show ingenuity and improve their methods to achieve their ends,” said Chantal Carbel, a spokesman for the Desjardins Group.

When the Desjardines employee calls the client, he never asks identification questions, mr.^{To me} Carbil. “If our members and clients have any doubts about the legitimacy of the call, email or text message they receive, they are invited to contact their Deszardins caisson or to join the Desjardins సంఖ్యలో number they know.”

Canada Post claims to have learned of a “recent incident of attempted fraud” involving a fake letter carrier. Montreal police were notified.