Senior couple fall prey to ‘church peer’ fraud
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/10/2024 (436 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
WINNIPEG — A fraudster posing as a friend from church bilked an elderly Winnipeg couple out of more than one-third of their life’s savings this month.
Now, Henry and Mary Braun fear their retirement could be in jeopardy, and they are warning others not to fall victim to the same fraud.
“When it happened, the looks on their faces were unlike anything I’d ever seen before,” said their son, Ryan Braun, who spoke to the Winnipeg Free Press on his parents’ behalf. “(The fraudster) used their faith against them … To see them defeated like that, it was quite jarring.”
It’s the latest report of Manitobans being victimized in a growing list of scams targeting seniors.
The couple, who are both in their 70s and just a few years into retirement, were contacted on Facebook by someone posing as a trusted and respected peer from their church saying they had learned of a new, tax-free federal grant supplying up to $150,000 for retired seniors.
The scammer described the money as “completely life-changing” and said the couple might be eligible, Ryan Braun said.
The couple was connected with another person pretending to be a Canadian government employee who told them they could receive the grant, but would have to pay the “processing fees” using Apple product gift cards, he said.
Between Sept. 6 and Sept. 17, they were instructed to visit different stores throughout Winnipeg and buy gift cards. They were then told to take photos of the cards’ serial numbers and send them to the government contact, he said.
Mary Braun realized something was wrong, but not before the scam artists made off with $32,700.
The crime was reported to police and the couple recovered about $700, but the remaining funds will likely never be returned. Police said the chances of locating and prosecuting those responsible is low.
The Winnipeg Police Service received 4,851 reports of fraud in 2023, up 15 per cent over 2022. The clearance rate for those crimes was just six per cent, according to the annual statistical report.
Ryan Braun has organized an online fundraiser to help his parents recover their losses. As of Thursday afternoon, it had generated more than $10,000 toward its $32,000 goal.
» Winnipeg Free Press