A 75-year-old Ontario man provided approximately $20,000 to a woman who allegedly claimed she needed help paying for her parents’ funerals.
Hamilton police said the woman promised to repay him, but investigators later concluded that the funeral-expense story was untrue and that the money had been obtained through deception.
Officers arrested Vicky Medalla, 58, of Niagara Falls on July 22, 2026. She faces one count of fraud over $5,000.
The Relationship Began Months Before the Money Requests
Female Arrested in Romance Scam https://t.co/XzhZeHz5k1
— Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) July 27, 2026
The man met Medalla and developed a relationship with her beginning in March 2025, according to CP24. Police did not disclose where they met or whether the relationship developed online, in person or through a combination of both.
Over the following months, Medalla allegedly began asking the man for financial assistance. Investigators said Medalla claimed that she needed money to cover expenses connected to her parents’ funerals.
Hamilton police later concluded that the funeral claim was untrue and alleged that Medalla obtained the money through deception. Hamilton police began investigating in December 2025, approximately nine months after the relationship started.
The department did not disclose who first reported the suspected fraud, what evidence contradicted the funeral story or whether a financial institution helped trace the payments. Police also have not reported that any portion of the approximately C$20,000 was recovered.
Police Opposed Medalla’s Release on Bail
Hamilton police arrested Medalla on July 22 and charged her with fraud over C$5,000. At the time of her arrest, police said she was already subject to two separate forms of judicial release connected to similar alleged offences in Kitchener and Hamilton.
Because of what the department described as the repeated nature of the allegations, police opposed her release on bail. The charge is an allegation. No bail decision, plea, trial date or restitution order had been publicly announced.
Family Emergencies Are a Known Romance-Fraud Pretext
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says romance fraud can involve someone building trust before requesting money for a medical emergency, travel problem or family assistance.
Before sending money for a funeral or other urgent family expense, the recipient can pause and ask for information that can be checked independently. A funeral home should be contacted through a telephone number found separately rather than one supplied by the person requesting payment.
Someone who has already transferred money should contact the financial institution immediately and ask whether the transaction can be stopped, recalled or flagged as fraud.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises preserving receipts, bank records, emails, text messages and other documents. Reports can be filed through Canada’s online Report Cybercrime and Fraud service or by calling 1-888-495-8501.