EDMONTON – The Edmonton Police Service has charged a 43-year-old woman with fraud after she allegedly took more than $200,000 from three elderly men.
Police investigated three similar frauds between 2010 and 2012 where the suspect allegedly gained sympathy from elderly men in order to get money from them. Police say the relationships were not romantic or sexual in nature.
The accused would allegedly make emotional pleas for financial assistance, and promise the loans would be repaid.
Wendy Curran, 43, is charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and one count of fraud under $5,000.
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The men involved are aged 84, 76, and 84.
They notified police after family members learned how much money they’d lost and that it wouldn’t be paid back.
Police say, to date, the money has not been repaid, and that has significantly affected the lives of two of the three men.
The accused will appear in court on June 21.
“In 2012, the EPS Elder Abuse Intervention team investigated 236 elder abuse files and approximately 75 per cent of the abuse was financial,” says EPS Acting Insp. Sean Armstrong.
“This includes the misuse of a senior’s funds or property through fraud, trickery, theft or force. These files are often forwarded to the team due to their complexity and the need for intervention from multiple agencies. With our growing seniors demographic, it’s crucial that we all look out for these vulnerable members of our community and report abuse immediately to police.”
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