Woman arrested in Calgary after allegedly scamming $97,000 from Saskatoon victims

A 28-year-old woman was arrested by police in Calgary in connection with scams that police say defrauded victims in Saskatoon out of nearly $100,000.

According to the Saskatoon Police Service, officers received several reports in September and October from people who had been victimized by the so-called “grandparent scam.”

That tactic sees scammers pretend to be a relative of the victim and claim they’re in some form of trouble. The scammer then asks for money urgently in order to help them out of their fake situation. Sometimes a second scammer will pretend to be a police officer or lawyer to make the trouble seem more legitimate, and they often target seniors.

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Police said the suspect in this case “was attending to the residences of victims and defrauding them each of several thousand dollars.”

In September, police issued a public advisory after getting video footage of the suspect, warning that the scammer was impersonating police.

“Following investigative leads and tips from the public, the person of interest was identified as a 28-year-old woman from Alberta and a warrant was issued for her arrest,” police said in a statement.

“On February 13, 2024, the suspect was arrested by members of the Calgary Police Service and on February 16, 2024, she was transported into the custody of the SPS by the RCMP Provost Unit.”

Police say the woman was involved in fraud cases that cost victims in Saskatoon “more than $97,000.”

She’s been charged with 10 counts of fraud over $5,000, as well as impersonating a police officer and unlawful use of a credit card obtained through crime.