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Help catch the sleazebag who bilked 42 seniors across the country out of their life savings -- including a Calgarian
By MICHAEL PLATT
Her life's savings are gone, but it's clear the cowardly con artist who bilked a city senior out of $60,000 failed to steal away the 82-year-old's sense of humour.
"I would have been a lot better off if I'd been deaf -- most of my friends are wearing hearing aids," the victim quipped to reporters.
"I wouldn't have got the gist and been so efficient following up his orders."
Don't take her humour as a sign the grey-haired victim is laughing about losing $60,000 to a smooth-talking slimeball, who went back not once, but twice after his initial $5,400 sting. Her sharp sense of humour is a warning flag for others, those who assume the only seniors who could possibly fall prey to a con artist are senile, gullible or both.
Not this 82-year-old: She's funny, articulate and clever enough to play the stocks.
She's also an avowed skeptic, whose pet phrase is "I smell a rat."
So how did this savvy senior fall prey to a man who called to claim he was a bank officer investigating branch embezzlement, and that he needed her to make a withdrawal to trap the thief?
"It's some sort of brainwashing technique. I'm still spanking myself for doing this," said the victim, who asked her name be kept out of it, partially out of fear, partially out of embarrassment.
"I often say I smell a rat, but the main thing he did was rush me, there was no time to think."
Police say their main suspect in the case is a serial sleazebag, who has targeted some 42 senior citizens across Canada, from Victoria to Ontario.
A well-dressed, clean-cut Caucasian male, aged about 55, the con man's modus operandi is to call seniors -- perhaps after scouring for older-sounding names in the phonebook -- telling them he's a bank investigator.
He weasels information out of the senior -- in this case gleaning the name of her bank by asking if she was using more than one branch -- and then saying it's urgent a withdrawal be made.
On Nov. 27, he met his most recent victim on the street near the Royal Bank on Northmount Dr. and 14 St. N.W., and took $5,400 from her for "safe keeping."
A short time later, she received a second call, saying a further $4,800 should be withdrawn and handed over at the same meeting place.
The third call saw her handing over the contents of a deposit box -- more than 100 gold coins worth over $50,000.
"It's totally out of character for me," said the senior.
"He totally rushed me and this is the punch line: I believed he was who he said he was."
The fourth and final call was the "bank investigator" phoning to say thank you, and that new bank books would be issued at a later meeting.
Of course, that meeting never took place, and the senior finally called police.
"I think it's a despicable act -- he's a real professional," said the victim, who decided to tell her story publicly, in hopes others will be more aware.
Police say even if they do find the villain, the chances of recovering the money is "slim to none," with most con artists quick to spend the loot.
But the plight of one senior might help protect others, said Sgt. Shawn Goertzen of the Police Service fraud detail.
"We're very concerned this could happen again -- the MO has been to hit two or three victims in a city at a time, so we're concerned that this may continue in our city," said Goertzen.
"When you think about what has happened here, an innocent elderly person who's worked hard and saved money has been cleaned out like this -- it's appalling, it's pathetic and we are very motivated to find the perpetrator."
If police are angry, it doesn't touch the fury of the victim's family, including her son Don.
Don said he's not only livid at the crook who robbed his mother, but he's fuming at the bank for not questioning a longstanding customer who re-appeared three times to make large withdrawals.
"I'm completely miffed -- a little old lady walks in, hauls out all this cash, and nobody noticed," said Don.
Royal Bank officials say they can't comment on individual cases.
Don says it's a situation he never expected his mom to be in.
"You could have hit me with a 2-by-4, I couldn't have been more stunned," he said.
"If you're thinking it can't happen to your parents, think again."
By MICHAEL PLATT
Her life's savings are gone, but it's clear the cowardly con artist who bilked a city senior out of $60,000 failed to steal away the 82-year-old's sense of humour.
"I would have been a lot better off if I'd been deaf -- most of my friends are wearing hearing aids," the victim quipped to reporters.
"I wouldn't have got the gist and been so efficient following up his orders."
Don't take her humour as a sign the grey-haired victim is laughing about losing $60,000 to a smooth-talking slimeball, who went back not once, but twice after his initial $5,400 sting. Her sharp sense of humour is a warning flag for others, those who assume the only seniors who could possibly fall prey to a con artist are senile, gullible or both.
Not this 82-year-old: She's funny, articulate and clever enough to play the stocks.
She's also an avowed skeptic, whose pet phrase is "I smell a rat."
So how did this savvy senior fall prey to a man who called to claim he was a bank officer investigating branch embezzlement, and that he needed her to make a withdrawal to trap the thief?
"It's some sort of brainwashing technique. I'm still spanking myself for doing this," said the victim, who asked her name be kept out of it, partially out of fear, partially out of embarrassment.
"I often say I smell a rat, but the main thing he did was rush me, there was no time to think."
Police say their main suspect in the case is a serial sleazebag, who has targeted some 42 senior citizens across Canada, from Victoria to Ontario.
A well-dressed, clean-cut Caucasian male, aged about 55, the con man's modus operandi is to call seniors -- perhaps after scouring for older-sounding names in the phonebook -- telling them he's a bank investigator.
He weasels information out of the senior -- in this case gleaning the name of her bank by asking if she was using more than one branch -- and then saying it's urgent a withdrawal be made.
On Nov. 27, he met his most recent victim on the street near the Royal Bank on Northmount Dr. and 14 St. N.W., and took $5,400 from her for "safe keeping."
A short time later, she received a second call, saying a further $4,800 should be withdrawn and handed over at the same meeting place.
The third call saw her handing over the contents of a deposit box -- more than 100 gold coins worth over $50,000.
"It's totally out of character for me," said the senior.
"He totally rushed me and this is the punch line: I believed he was who he said he was."
The fourth and final call was the "bank investigator" phoning to say thank you, and that new bank books would be issued at a later meeting.
Of course, that meeting never took place, and the senior finally called police.
"I think it's a despicable act -- he's a real professional," said the victim, who decided to tell her story publicly, in hopes others will be more aware.
Police say even if they do find the villain, the chances of recovering the money is "slim to none," with most con artists quick to spend the loot.
But the plight of one senior might help protect others, said Sgt. Shawn Goertzen of the Police Service fraud detail.
"We're very concerned this could happen again -- the MO has been to hit two or three victims in a city at a time, so we're concerned that this may continue in our city," said Goertzen.
"When you think about what has happened here, an innocent elderly person who's worked hard and saved money has been cleaned out like this -- it's appalling, it's pathetic and we are very motivated to find the perpetrator."
If police are angry, it doesn't touch the fury of the victim's family, including her son Don.
Don said he's not only livid at the crook who robbed his mother, but he's fuming at the bank for not questioning a longstanding customer who re-appeared three times to make large withdrawals.
"I'm completely miffed -- a little old lady walks in, hauls out all this cash, and nobody noticed," said Don.
Royal Bank officials say they can't comment on individual cases.
Don says it's a situation he never expected his mom to be in.
"You could have hit me with a 2-by-4, I couldn't have been more stunned," he said.
"If you're thinking it can't happen to your parents, think again."