Caught on camera: alleged scammer targets bedridden Montreal senior in her home

A Montreal woman said she was horrified after a man allegedly entered her bedridden mother’s apartment and tried to obtain her banking information.

Melanie Nadeau said the incident happened Wednesday afternoon when her 75-year-old mother, Diane Prévost, received a phone call warning of unusually large transactions on her bank account.

Her mother, who has dementia and receives home care, is unable to move around easily and is on oxygen.

Nadeau said the caller claimed he needed her mother’s debit card and personal identification number to resolve the issue. When the senior appeared confused, the man allegedly told her he would send a colleague to her home.

About 20 minutes later, a man dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses arrived at the apartment.

Nadeau had installed a surveillance camera near her mother’s bed to monitor her well-being. The camera captured the encounter.

“It’s the elderly that need the most help in life and it’s just sad that there’s people out there who are willing to take advantage of their situation and their mental health,” she said.

“It could have really ruined somebody.”

In the video recording, shared online by Nadeau, her mother can be heard calling her daughter before passing the phone to the man. He allegedly identified himself as being with a bank and asked Nadeau for her mother’s PIN to “eliminate cloned cards in circulation.”

“I told him he had to leave the apartment right away because the police were already on their way,” she said, adding that this is when the man left.

Nadeau filed a complaint with Montreal police the following day.

While information about a possible investigation into the event is confidential, a spokesperson with the SPVM said, “We take every incident involving vulnerable individuals, including seniors, very seriously.”

The spokesperson added that there are officers specifically dedicated to helping seniors who are victims of abuse, including fraud.

For Nadeau, the ordeal underscored how vulnerable seniors can be.

While no one was hurt, and no confidential bank account information was shared, Nadeau said her mother is shaken by the event.

“This creates a lot of anxiety for her,” she said.

The experience further convinced Nadeau of the importance of taking extra measures to ensure the safety of vulnerable seniors like her mother.

“If there’s one thing I can say to anybody who has older family members, it’s to get those [surveillance] cameras,” she said.

“You can be in a different country and still, if there’s movement, the camera will detect it, and you can keep an eye on your loved ones.”