Four men arrested in elaborate bank fraud scam that cost woman $25,824
Calgary police say suspects posed as bank employees and couriers to trick a woman into surrendering her card and revealing security details on August 5.
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Calgary police have arrested four men accused of posing as anti-fraud bank agents to defraud a woman of $25,824 through an elaborate scam involving a fake courier pickup.
On August 5, the woman received a call from a man claiming to be from her bank's fraud department. The caller told her there were suspicious transactions on her credit card and that it had been frozen to stop further fraud. He instructed her to cut up the card, put it in an envelope, and leave it for a courier driving a silver Honda CRV.
The same suspect called back and asked her to confirm her old PIN, then asked her to verify a new PIN for a replacement card he claimed would arrive by mail. The next day, her credit card showed several unauthorized transactions.
When she contacted her bank, she learned her card had never been frozen. She then called police.
On August 29, officers searched a home in the 500 block of 15 Avenue S.E., where they seized a conducted energy weapon, a black replica pellet handgun, multiple bear spray canisters, a retractable baton, and a backpack full of .22-calibre ammunition. They also found several items of identification and bank cards linked to fraudulent activities, and a device that can access vehicles' computer systems. Two stolen motorcycles were parked nearby, believed connected to the residence.
Badr Ghassan Salim Al-Saffar, 28, was charged with four counts of breaching a release order that includes removing an ankle monitor, and was remanded in custody. Brandon Laroy Fordham, 31, faces two counts of breaching a release order and has arrest warrants outstanding. Jordan Tyler Oldford, 37, was charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000, three counts of uttering forged documents, possession of a stolen bank card, and three counts of breaching a release order. Jeremy Sauve, 41, was charged with eight weapons-related breaches of a release order, fraud over $5,000, possession of a forged bank card, possession of a stolen bank card, uttering a forged document, possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace, and possession of instruments of forgery.
Oldford, Fordham and Sauve were scheduled to appear in court Monday.
The facts
How much money did the woman lose in this scam?
$25,824 was stolen from the woman through the elaborate fraud scheme.
What did the scammers tell the woman to do with her card?
The caller instructed her to cut up her card, put it in an envelope, and leave it for a courier driving a silver Honda CRV.
What items did police find when they searched the home on August 29?
Officers seized a conducted energy weapon, a black replica pellet handgun, multiple bear spray canisters, a retractable baton, ammunition, identification documents, fraudulent bank cards, a device for accessing vehicle computer systems, and two stolen motorcycles parked nearby.
How many men were arrested in connection with this fraud?
Four men were arrested: Badr Ghassan Salim Al-Saffar, Brandon Laroy Fordham, Jordan Tyler Oldford, and Jeremy Sauve.
