A Quebec man pleads guilty to defrauding seniors in ‘Grandparent Scam’ in Saskatoon

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One of three Quebec men accused of defrauding Saskatoon seniors of more than $100,000 through what police are calling a “grandparent scam” will be sentenced in June after pleading guilty Tuesday in Saskatoon provincial court.

Ahmad Ebad Ebadi, 26, appeared by telephone as attorney Logan Marchand entered guilty pleas on two counts of fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit an indictable offense and possession of property obtained by crime.

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Ebadi faced nine counts of fraud over $5,000. Crown prosecutor Carol Carlson said the Crown is consolidating all nine charges into a single charge of fraud over $5,000, to which Ebadi has pleaded guilty, and which includes any offense committed between December 30, 2022 and January 10, 2023.

Ebadi also pleaded guilty to fraud under $5,000.

He was arrested on Jan. 10, 2023, in the 400 block of Nelson Road in the city’s University Heights neighborhood. The CBC reported that an elderly couple called police and lured Ebadi, posing as a bail bondsman, to their apartment after receiving a suspicious phone call from someone posing as their grandson asking for bail money.

Two other men, Sofyane Elgamal, 26, and Cedric Boivin Oligny, 27, were arrested the next day during a traffic stop on 22nd Street.

Ebadi and Elgamal have been released on bail and must live in approved housing in a Montreal suburb, according to court documents.

The men are accused of convincing at least 10 victims in their early 70s to mid-90s to hand over sums of money between $8,000 and $21,000 to a man who showed up at their door claiming to be a courier or bail bondsman.

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Police said the scam started with a call from someone claiming to be a family member in an emergency, requiring money for bail or hospital bills. The victim may also be contacted by a second person claiming to be an authority, such as a police officer, lawyer or doctor.

The callers had personal information about the victims’ family and friends and always asked for amounts between $9,000 and $9,800, police said.

“We actually had an individual who showed up on our victims’ doorsteps and took advantage of them. For that reason, we knew we had to respond quickly,” said Supt. Patrick Nogier, head of the criminal investigation department, said this during a press conference last year.

The StarPhoenix spoke to an elderly man who said a caller claiming to be his grandson asked for $9,000 because he was arrested for rear-ending a pregnant woman while distracted driving and had to be rescued.

The man said he became suspicious when the caller put his “lawyer” on the phone and called the police. It all happened on January 10, 2023 – the same day Ebadi was arrested.

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Suspected ties to organized crime

Nogier said police believe the three men were working together and that two were involved in a criminal organization.

Ebadi was accused of participating in a criminal organization and committing a criminal offense for the benefit of a criminal organization. Carlson said the Crown will withdraw these charges after sentencing, which is scheduled for June 11.

Oligny is charged with fraud over $5,000 and two organized crime offenses. Elgamal is charged with 13 counts of fraud valued at more than $5,000 and four organized crime offenses, including recruitment into a criminal organization.

Both men are also charged with possessing property obtained by crime and conspiracy to commit a criminal offense.

Police have learned — not necessarily through sources linked to this file — that there may be a list or database of potential victims that fraudsters call a “sucker list,” Nogier said.

“There are multiple ways that the criminal element can do their own open-source data mining, to get the information they need to make themselves legitimate when they give that voice or face-to-face approach,” he said, adding adding that it is possible information can also be collected through social media, gaming sites and obituaries.

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After the men’s arrest, police said they were investigating whether more people were involved and were communicating with other jurisdictions to see if the fraud in Saskatoon was linked to other communities.

Elgamal and Oligny remain in court. Oligny’s next performance is scheduled for April 25, while Elgamal is scheduled for May 14.

An Alberta woman is also in court, accused of defrauding Saskatoon victims of more than $97,000 in a separate grandparent scam that began in 2023. Taline Trottier, 28, was arrested in Calgary on February 13. She is charged with ten counts of fraud. more than $5,000, impersonating a police officer and unauthorized use of a credit card. Her next court appearance is May 9.

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