Woman charged with bilking three seniors

More than $200,000 taken from three men, police say

A woman has been charged after three elderly Edmonton men were defrauded of more than $200,000.

Police said Thursday they’re not ruling out the possibility other seniors may have been similarly targeted.

In the three frauds, which occurred between 2010 and 2012, a woman targeted elderly men, gaining their sympathy to obtain money.

After forming a friendship with the men, she made emotional pleas for financial help, promising the loans would be repaid once she got money from another individual. The friendships were neither romantic nor sexual in nature.

The men — two age 84, and one 76 — were approached at the Millwoods Town Centre.

The first victim was approached in July 2010 and gave the woman money on nearly a daily basis. He was defrauded of $62,000 to $94,000.

When that relationship ended, the woman approached another man in April 2011 and managed to obtain $169,000 from him. Nearly a year later, he reported it to police.

In April 2012, the woman approached a third senior, but the incident was reported to police almost immediately.

“The relationship soured when people aren’t being paid back,” acting Staff Sgt. Jared Buhler, a community liaison officer, told a news conference.

The men’s families learned of the extent of the financial losses and realized the loans would not be repaid. The cases came to police attention when the “men were reaching financial exhaustion.”

So far, none of the money has been repaid, which has had a significant impact on two of the three victims.

Buhler said the accused has a history of panhandling behav-

“They (seniors) tend to be very trusting and ... vulnerable.” BERNICE SEWELL OF THE SENIORS ASSOCIATION OF GREATER EDMONTON

iour and is known to police, but she was able to take it one step further by making the men believe they were her friends and were helping her.

These were “big fish she was able to reel in,” he said, adding that their age made them more susceptible to her ploys.

The frauds were difficult for police to investigate because of their “quasi-civil nature.”

“There’s a grey area between civil transactions between friends and when it becomes criminal,” he said.

Also, all the transactions were made in cash, so there were few records.

There could be others out there who have been similarly targeted and Buhler said it’s critical they report it to police.

Wendy Curran, 43, is charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of fraud under $5,000. She’s scheduled to appear in court June 21.

Acting Insp. Sean Armstrong, with the police department’s crimes branch, said there were 218 files of elder abuse in 2011. That increased to 236 last year — about 75 per cent of which were financial.

Bernice Sewell, director of operations for the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton, said 80 per cent of the seniors who used the organization’s safe house had faced financial abuse.

Of those, 60 per cent involved someone close to them, such as an adult child or grandchild; 40 per cent were abused by an unrelated caregiver or someone they didn’t know.

“Sometimes some (seniors’) disabilities make them more susceptible, it’s much more difficult for them to get out and about than others,” Sewell said. “They tend to be very trusting and they become more vulnerable as their health might deteriorate, mentally, physically.”

The United Nations has designated June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the City of Edmonton has followed suit for the past eight years.

If you or someone you know is the victim of elder abuse, call police at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a cellphone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 or online at www. tipsubmit.com/start.htm.

For more information on elder abuse, go to http://www.edmontonpolice.ca/CommunityPolicing/FamilyProtection/ ElderAbuse.aspx.