Edmonton police arrest man in connection with six ‘grandparent scams’

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City police have arrested and charged a man in connection with a scam targeting seniors in and around Edmonton.

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The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has opened an investigation into a number of frauds that occurred in and around Edmonton targeting seniors on March 11, police said. The EPS said the « grandparents scam » involved targeting vulnerable elderly people and more than 30 complaints have been filed since March.

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Police said in many cases a call is made to an elderly person by someone posing as their grandchild. The suspect asks for help stating that he is in custody and needs money and the grandparent is asked not to tell anyone about the situation and a request for money to be released from custody on sight is made, police said.

Often money is provided to suspects in cash or by credit card, police said.

“These incidents are happening across Canada,” EPS Det. Pierre Lemire said in the statement.

“There have been over 36 complainants in the Edmonton area since March 2022 and new complainants are being identified every week.”

Lucas Kopijewski, 30, is charged with six counts of fraud over $5,000 in connection with six separate incidents, police said.