Two men from Montreal are facing charges in New Brunswick in relation to a financial phone fraud scheme.
Police received a report on Tuesday from a person who received a phone call from a man claiming to be a police officer who had a family member in custody.
According to police, the man claiming to be a member of law enforcement demanded a large sum of money in order to have the family member released from jail. Police say the caller then arrived at the individual’s home a short time later to collect the ransom.
As the week went on, members of the New Brunswick RCMP and Fredericton Police Force were alerted to reports of similar incidents in the Oromocto area.
Police in Oromocto received a tip on Thursday related to the same phone scheme. A 30-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, both from Montreal, were then arrested in Oromocto.
The two men, Saleh Abdalla Saleh Mohammed and Manasseh Kebede, appeared virtually in Fredericton provincial court on Friday. They were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud over $5,000. Both men will remain in custody pending a court appearance on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
“Be cautious of any call you receive from a number you do not recognize, especially if you are being asked for a large sum of money,” says Cpl. Hans Ouellette of the New Brunswick RCMP in a news release. “This type of scam often targets senior citizens that have limited access to the internet or who don’t use social media, and preys on the fear of…
