Victims of grandparent fraud face prison sentences for fraudsters

A Calgary man who stole at least $127,000 from his elderly victims in a “grandparent scam” pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud on Friday.

Jason Dear, 40, admitted to collecting between $6,000 and $27,000 from 10 seniors over a three-month period in 2022

The victims were between 74 and 94 years old.

A victim stated in court that Dear got her name and that of her grandson from her husband's obituary.

Several of Dear's victims appeared in court Friday afternoon.

“I was so stupid”

A woman in a wheelchair told Judge Susan Pepper that she gave Dear $19,000.

This was all her savings, which was intended for her two grandchildren.

“It just made me sick to think that I was so stupid to fall for this scam because I knew better,” Shirley said. “But it was just so real.”

CBC News is using only the first names of victims to protect them from further harassment.

In each case, the targeted senior citizen received a call from a man claiming to be a loved one – usually a grandchild – or a police officer who had arrested the grandchild.

Woman with dementia in the crosshairs

The senior was then told that the grandson, whose name was always correct, needed money to post the bail.

In one case, Dear targeted an 85-year-old woman named Irene who had dementia.

Irene was told her grandson had been arrested. She took the money from her bank,

Irene followed the instructions and put the money in an envelope, which Dear picked up.

When this was successful, Dear contacted some of his victims a second and third time, demanding more and more money.

An 89-year-old woman named Anne gave Dear $20,000, but employees at her bank intervened when she tried to withdraw $45,000.

“Embarrassed and ashamed”

The crimes occurred between February 15 and April 26, 2022, with Dear stealing from up to three victims on the same day.

Jean, who gave Dear $10,000, wrote that she was “incredibly embarrassed and ashamed” to have fallen victim to this scam.

Dear's oldest victim is a 94-year-old named George, who handed over $12,000 because he believed his grandson had been arrested after being found in a vehicle with drugs. George believed he would help secure his grandson's release from prison.

Although he did not admit to making the calls, Dear pleaded guilty to his role as “courier.”

“A strong message”

Prosecutor Gregory Whiteside called Dear's crimes “reprehensible and predatory” and called “some of our weakest individuals” the targets of his actions.

Judge Pepper asked defense attorney Dean Zuk why his client committed his crimes.

“You heard that he has a family and decisions were made to support that family, and those decisions were wrong,” Zuk said.

“I’ll leave it at that.”

Whiteside and Zuk proposed a three-year, four-month sentence, which Judge Pepper accepted. Taking into account the time Dear has already served, he has just over three years left behind bars.

“The message must be clear: anyone who commits a crime of this kind must go to prison for a significant period of time,” Pepper said.