Anastasia Tataru, 19, is accused of running a scheme targeting seniors.
A woman accused in a string of fraudulent schemes targeting seniors was arrested Nov. 12 in Laval, police say.
Anastasia Tataru, 19, is accused of running a scheme in which victims, mostly seniors, would receive a call from someone posing as a representative of a financial institution or anti-fraud centre.
Laval police say the caller would tell the seniors their bank card had been targeted by fraud and convince them to put the card in an envelope and share their PIN. Then a woman posing as “Jessica Blais,” who police say was actually Tataru, would allegedly come by their residence to collect the envelope and use the cards to make fraudulent transactions.
Police say Tataru is now facing multiple fraud charges and will appear in court Jan. 15.
Fraud targeting seniors and fraudulent misrepresentation is common across Quebec, Laval police said. They call for “vigilance” in order to prevent fraud.
Would-be victims of fraud can then verify whether the organization they were speaking to is legitimate by looking online for it. In cases of credit card fraud, the centre says it’s best to call the number on the back of the card.
The centre also advises Canadians not to share personal information, whether a name, address, birth date, social insurance number, credit card or banking information on a call they didn’t initiate.