Montreal men charged in St. Thomas grandparent scam

Two men from Montreal have been charged with trying to defraud a St. Thomas couple out of $10,000.

The couple was told their nephew had been arrested and needed bail money. Although they were surprised by the claim, they withdrew the large sum of money from the bank.

Fortunately, they had second thoughts before handing the cash over and called St. Thomas police.

Officers from the criminal investigations branch set up an operation that saw them arrest the suspects after they attended the couple’s home to collect the money on Wednesday. Police stopped the vehicle and arrested two men without incident.

Two 20-year-old men from Montreal have been charged with fraud over $5,000.

This is the latest in a rash of grandparent scams making the rounds across southwestern Ontario. London police said late last week they have seen an additional five complaints of people being led to believe a loved one is in legal trouble and needs fast cash, since first issuing a warning to the public near the end of June.

Chatham-Kent police reported that two elderly women, one from Wallaceburg, the other from Dresden, were scammed out of a combined $15,000 in a similar grandparent scam last Friday.

Police advise the public if they receive a call indicating a loved one has been arrested and needs money for bail or a lawyer they should hang up and check the story with another family member.

Read original story from London Ontario – BlackburnNews.com