Quebec man pleads guilty for role in scam to bilk thousands from Saskatoon seniors
The scam preyed on seniors and their love of their grandkids.
This week, a Quebec man pleaded guilty in provincial court for his role in the so-called "grandparent scam" that targeted seniors across Saskatoon in the week before Christmas 2022.
Police say Ahmad Ebadi is one of three people who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from elderly victims.
Logan Marchand with WMT Law represented Ebadi.
"What Mr. Ebadi had plead guilty to was being a part of the grandparent fraud that has been occurring in Saskatoon," he said in an interview.
"It's essentially where victims were told that their loved ones were in custody and needed to pay bail, and Mr. Ebadi plead guilty to being a party to that type of fraud."
Ebadi pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit fraud. His two co-accused are still before the court.
CBC interviewed the couple whose quick thinking led to Ebadi's arrest. CBC agreed to not reveal their last name because of their role in the investigation.
Their narrative explained how the fraudsters worked.
Defence lawyer Logan Marchand (Dan Zakreski/CBC)
It all started around 10 a.m. CST in January 2023. Larry, 87, was in their den when his landline rang. Helen, 84, was in the other room talking on her cellphone with a friend.
"'Hello, grandpa, how are you?' I said I'm fine. How are you? 'Well, not very good,'" Larry recalled.
"He said he was at work, feeling sick, and then tested positive for COVID. He picked up some medication and was on the way home when he rear-ended a vehicle driven by a lady that was six months pregnant. The airbag went off and they're concerned that her pregnancy might be affected and I confessed that I had my cellphone in my hand and now I'm in jail, grandpa."
The "grandson" said he needed money for bail. He said he could only make one call and was afraid to call his dad. Then he put on a second person who claimed to be his lawyer. That person said the money would be refunded after he made his first court appearance.
After realizing they were targets for a scam, Larry and Helen called police to say they were still in contact with the suspects. Police agreed to work with Larry and Helen to lure the fraudsters to the couple's condo.
They were arrested that same day.
Ebadi returns to court June 11 for a contested sentencing hearing.
