Summerside police lay 2 more 'grandparent scam' charges against couple

Summerside police say they have laid additional charges against aman and woman accused ofcarrying out "thegrandparent scam" to defraud people by saying their grandchildren were in legal trouble and needed bail money.

A news release issued by Summerside Police Services on Friday saidLuis Luciano David Cortez Abarca, 26, andGenesis Javiera Carvajal Tapia, 25, were each charged with two counts offraud over $5,000.

The charges were laid after two people in Summerside were defrauded of $6,000 each on Monday, Aug. 26, the news release said.

"The victims were instructed to obtain the money and wouldbe contacted again by the fraudsters for payment," the police forcesaid. "The fraudsters later attended the victim's residences and themonies were turned over."

A day before that,Charlottetown policesaid they were contacted by a man who said his grandmother had been phonedby someone with a similar demand for bail money. In that case, the woman grew suspicious and called her grandson to see if he was indeed in trouble.

Officers were at the house when a man arrived to collect the $5,000 that had been demanded, and arrestedCortez.

Investigators later determined that a woman was involved in the operation, and officers arrestedTapiaat a motel in Borden-Carleton on Wednesday.

The two accused are from Chile and had been travelling in a vehicle with New Brunswick plates, Charlottetown police said Thursday.

A Charlottetown court proceeding on Friday was told that they arehusband and wife.

Similar incidents of fraud were earlier reported in the New Brunswick communities ofMiramichi, Bathurst, Campbellton and Caraquet.

Cortez and Tapia face charges of fraud under $5,000 and fraud over $5,000 relating to the Charlottetown incident that led to their arrests, as well as a second incidentreported to police.

They are scheduled to appear in provincial court in Summerside on Sept. 4, and will be back in provincial court in Charlottetown the following day.

In the meantime, they will stay in custody.