14 charged after 126 Canadians lose money in ‘grandparent scam’

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An interprovincial police investigation has led to the arrest of 14 people who police say carried out an intricate social engineering “grandparent scam” that targeted older Canadians across the country.

The investigation began as an intelligence probe in September of 2022 but quickly became its own operation.

Headed by the Ontario provincial police’s criminal investigation branch, “Project Sharp” collaborated with 11 police agencies from across the province and one from Quebec.

Through an elaborate process of social engineering, the grandparent scam involved calling senior citizens while pretending to be police officers or lawyers and claim that a family member of the victim was in custody and needed bail.

They’d then trick their victim into thinking a “gag order” was in place, preventing them from turning to others for help.

Officers estimate that the suspects have stolen at least $2.2 million, going as far back as February 2022.

In this example from Canada’s anti-fraud centre, the grandparent scam utilize the “broken phone” variation to entice a response from their victims (Courtesy of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre).
In a four-month window in 2024, officers were able to track at least 126 victims who lost approximately $739,000 to this organized crime group — some of whom were re-victimized on multiple occasions.

While the elaborate ruse spanned nationwide, most of the victims resided in either Ontario or Quebec and were between the ages of 46 and 95.

As a result of this almost two-year investigation, police say they have arrested fourteen individuals and laid 56 charges.

“Our dedicated officers tirelessly pursued justice in this complex investigation by working diligently to investigate, disrupt and dismantle the criminal organization targeting vulnerable individuals across the country,” said Marty Kearns, OPP deputy commissioner.

“Frauds can cause significant emotional and financial distress to the victims, and our officers remain steadfast in their mission to safeguard our communities.”

The names and ages of those arrested are as follows:

Matthew Malla, 30, Saint-Laurent, Quebec;
Michael Beauchamp, 25, Lachine, Quebec;
Giordano De Luca, 2, Laval, Quebec;
Damian Dufresne, 25 Pierrefonds, Quebec;
Francesco Farinaccio-Modaferri, 26, Laval, Quebec;
Franco Gallucci, 30, Laval, Quebec;
Jonathan Goral, 26, Dollars Des Ormeaux, Quebec;
Christopher Melchiorre, 26, Laval Quebec;
Stefano Caucci, 25, LaSalle, Quebec;
Matthew Marrone, 26, Pointe-Claire, Quebec;
Erin Rud, 33, Lachine, Quebec;
Samuel Ferron, 25, Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec; and
Steven Chodjai, 36, Montreal, Quebec.
All of the men listed are facing various charges of fraud, criminals organization and identity fraud. Many of their court dates are scheduled in May or April, and will be carried out at a courthouse in Ottawa.