By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A fraudster targeting seniors was sentenced to six months of house arrest after being caught as a result of the vigilance of a nonagenarian who sniffed out his scam, which enabled police to trace the scammer. Last October, an elderly couple from Lachine received a call from “Caisses Desjardins”, according to what was indicated on their call display. A man who identified himself as an employee of the financial institution told the couple that a fraudulent transaction had taken place in their bank account. The fraudster then told the 91-year-old man that he needed to withdraw funds from his bank account and that a car would wait for him in front of his home and take him to his Desjardins branch in Lachine.

Sufian Romdhane, 31, picked up his would-be victim in a Subaru Forester. On the way to the bank, another fraudster speaking to the senior man being targeted on Romdhane’s phone said that he needed to make a withdrawal of $3,800 in cash, but that he should not tell the bank employee the reason for the withdrawal, because the origin of the “fraud” came from a person who works at its branch. The senior at some point during the trip began to suspect that he had been targeted by a scam. He remained calm and discreetly noted the license plate number of the vehicle in his pocket book as he made his way on foot into the bank.

The elderly man immediately reported his situation to a bank employee who failed to realize the urgency of the situation and asked him to wait for a manager, who never showed up.

In the meantime, the victim saw the accused observing him through the window. He remained indoors until he saw Romdhane leaving the parking lot, at which point he exited the bank via a side door. He then reported his strange encounter to the Montreal police department (SPVM). With the information he provided, investigators were able to place Romdhane’s vehicle under surveillance.

The following week, SPVM officers spotted Romdhane with an accomplice, Cristian Guzman Cavagnaro, picking up another elderly man at a building in the Anjou district. The victim was instructed to withdraw $5,000 without giving an explanation to any of the branch employees.The investigators followed as the man was taken by the two accused to his Desjardins branch on Jean Talon.

Once in the bank, the elderly man attempted to withdraw the money despite the clerk’s suggestion to use a bank draft to avoid fraud. At that point, a police officer intervened and informed the man that he was being targeted by a scam. Simultaneously, two other officers arrested Romdhane and Guzman Cavagnaro.

Romdhane, who had no criminal record, received a six-month sentence to be served at home. Cavagnaro, who has a criminal record, will face sentencing in March. n