2 charged in connection with 'grandparent scam' on P.E.I.

A man and a woman have been charged on P.E.I. in relation to an incident of what's known as "thegrandparent scam."

"It's good to be able to bring these individuals into custody and keep them from exploiting additional individuals," Charlottetown Police Chief Brad McConnell said in an interview Thursday afternoon.

In a news release, Charlottetown Police Services said they were contacted Tuesday afternoon by a man who said his grandmother had been phonedby someone claiming to be a bail bondsman.

The elderly woman was told her grandson had been in a car accident involving a pregnant woman, and $5,000 was needed to get him out of jail.

The caller told her to go to the bank and take out the money, after which someone would visit to collect it.

But when 26-year-old Luis Luciano David Cortez Abarca arrived to pick up the money around 3:30 p.m., he was met by several Charlottetown police units who arrested himwithout incident.

The police chief gave credit to the woman who received the phone callfor doing the right thing.

"They communicated with the loved one that was supposedly making the call, and made the right choice by engaging police," McConnell said.

Tied to other scams in region?

Charlottetown Police also spoke with their counterparts in the province's second-biggest city, Summerside, and found that they were investigating similar incidents reported on Monday.

Police determined a woman was also involved, and 25-year-old Genesis Javiera Carvajal Tapia was arrested Wednesday at a motel in Borden-Carleton.

How police on P.E.I. foiled 2 alleged grandparent scammers

4 days ago

Duration 2:01

Police charged two people with fraud this week after receiving a complaint from a Charlottetown family about a possible 'grandparent scam' case. CBC's Laura Meader spoke with the city's police chief, Brad MacConnell, about how the arrests went down and what people can do to avoid falling victim to such a plot.

"We take it very seriously. Those that exploit our most vulnerable especially our elderly people deserve to be held accountable," McConnell said.

The police news release said the two accused, who are from Chile, had been travelling in a rental vehicle from New Brunswick. It said similar incidentswere also being investigated in four areas of that province: Miramichi, Bathurst, Campbelltown and Caraquet.

"We're realizing that the people we have in custody are probably responsible for other incidents," said McConnell. "Because of that, we've released their photos and names and hope to certainly bring any outstanding matters to closure."

Additional police forces in other parts of the Maritimes have been alerted about the arrests as well, in case similar grandparent scams have occurred in their areas of jurisdiction.

Search leads to seizure of 5 cellphones

McConnell said it can sometimes be hard to arrest people in these types of scams because the victims are pressed to actvery quickly, and either send money electronically or buy gift cards with serial numbers that are then shared with the criminals.

"A lot of times, the individuals are not from the jurisdiction or do not reside full-time in the jurisdiction that they're pulling the scams in. So sometimes it's hard to identify them," he said.

The news release saida search warrant was executed inside the Borden-Carleton motel room, where five cellphones, several computer devices, and cash were seized as part of the investigation.

Cortez and Tapia have been charged with fraud under $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 relating to the Charlottetown incidentand a second incident that was reported to police later that day. They are being held in custody and will appear in Charlottetown provincial court for a show-cause hearing Friday.

Police say the investigation isstill in the early stages, and charges are expected to be laid in Summerside as well.

Anyone who believes they have been victimized by the people who were chargedis being encouraged to contact local police.

"It can sound very convincing," McConnell said of this type of crime. "As Islanders and Canadians, we always try to help people. So the individuals that are using these techniques are trying to exploit that kindness."