Sherbrooke police arrested an 18-year-old man after a financial institution helped stop an alleged “fake representative” fraud targeting an 81-year-old woman.
The case unfolded Friday morning, when employees at a financial institution noticed the woman was preparing to withdraw several thousand dollars in cash without a clear reason, according to The Pulse of the Eastern Townships. The employees alerted the Service de police de Sherbrooke at about 10:30 a.m.
Police said the woman was taken aside and officers began working with the institution to identify the person or people behind the alleged scam.
Investigators then planned what police described as a safe operation, and a short time later, a suspect arrived at the woman’s home in Sherbrooke’s east end, apparently to collect the money.
The Suspect Ran Before Police Stopped The Vehicle
Police said investigators moved in when the suspect arrived at the victim’s home. The young man allegedly broke away on foot and got into a vehicle.
Officers at the scene were still able to get a precise description of the suspect and the vehicle’s licence plate. That information was sent to other units in the field, and officers from the SPS operational support section later located the vehicle and intercepted it on Kennedy Street North.
The driver, an 18-year-old man from Mascouche, was alone in the vehicle and was arrested. Police said he was expected to be interviewed by investigators and could face charges of fraud and escaping lawful custody.
Police Are Checking For Possible Links To Other Frauds
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FM 107.7 reported that SPS spokesperson Benoit Pellerin said the suspect’s identity would be checked with the Sûreté du Québec for possible links to other frauds elsewhere in the province.
Sherbrooke police have been dealing with a wider wave of “fake representative” frauds. In a separate recent report, the SPS said it had logged 115 complaints of this type of fraud since the start of 2026.
The same report described the scam as a structured operation rather than random one-person calls. Police said teams may include someone making calls, someone watching, someone driving, and someone going to the victim’s home.
The Scam Often Starts With A Fake Bank Or Police Story
The “fake representative” scam usually targets older residents by phone. The caller may pretend to be from a bank, a police service, or another trusted authority and claim there is fraud on the victim’s account.
The Sûreté du Québec describes the scheme as one where a caller tells an elderly person there is potential bank fraud and then pushes the victim to hand over bank cards and PINs to a fake representative.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre gives similar guidance on bank investigator scams. It says suspects may claim they need to collect debit or credit cards from a victim’s home as part of an investigation.
No Bank Or Police Service Sends A Stranger To Collect Cash
A real bank or police service will not send someone to a home to collect cash, debit cards, credit cards, PINs, passwords, or verification codes after an unexpected call.
If a caller claims there is fraud on an account, the person should hang up and call the bank directly using the number on the back of the card. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also warns that caller ID can be spoofed, so a familiar-looking phone number does not prove the call is real.
Families caring for older relatives can set a rule in advance: no withdrawals, card handoffs, wire transfers, cryptocurrency purchases, or home pickups after a surprise call. If someone arrives at the door claiming to be collecting money or cards for a bank or police investigation, the safest move is to keep the door closed and call 911.