95-year-old victim lost $13,000 first time, gave suspects $6,000 in second incident before police stopped vehicle in Oshawa
NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGIONAL POLICE
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Investigators with the York Regional Police Financial Crimes Unit have arrested and charged two people in connection with a grandparent scam investigation, including one suspect from Cambridge.
On Nov. 1, investigators received information that a 95-year-old female victim who lost more than $13,000 in a grandparent scam in October, had received another call from the suspect, demanding more money.
The suspect then attended the victim’s residence in a vehicle with a second suspect driving, to collect the cash.
Investigators located the vehicle and stopped it in the Oshawa area after $6,000 was taken from the woman.
The suspects were arrested and have been linked to four incidents so far.
The investigation is ongoing.
Lorencz Sparks, 21, of Cambridge and Keyshan Rose, 18, of Brampton face four charges each of fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, and extortion.
Typically in a grandparent scam, criminals will call an elderly person while posing as their grandchild in distress, demanding money to get them out of trouble.
In some cases, a second suspect will play the role of a government official, a police officer or a lawyer who provides instructions on how the victim can deliver the money. These types of frauds may be repeated over the course of days, weeks or even months, as the criminals gain the trust of their victims.
A list of ongoing scams as well as tips to avoid becoming a victim, are available at yrp.ca/fraud.
