Montreal father loses nearly $20,000 in impersonation scam

Eric Sauvageau and his son Sam are still trying to process what happened.

A few weeks ago, Eric, 60, received a phone call from someone he believed was his son, and it changed everything.

“I get a call from a private number, from my fake son saying I’m in the courthouse, I was in an accident and I sound a little funny cause I broke my nose, but it totally sounded like Sam’s voice,” said Eric.

Over the next three hours, he says he received several more calls from someone pretending to be his son and another claiming to be a lawyer.

He made two trips to the bank, withdrawing just under $19,000 in cash.

He says later on, two different couriers arrived at his home to collect the money.

It wasn’t until after the second pick up that Eric called his son’s workplace and realized his son had been there the whole time.

“It’s devastating,” he said. “You feel stupid. You feel like an idiot. I know the scam — I know the grandfather scam, I’m aware of it. They just play on your emotions, really.”

The pair says they’ve been in touch with their local police station about the matter.

In a statement to Global News, a spokesperson for the Montreal police wouldn’t comment on this case specifically, but they say some scam victims report voices that sound like loved ones.

While some suspect AI, authorities say that’s hard to confirm, but they are monitoring the situation.

They say there are a few key ways to protect yourself — call the loved one who is in trouble with a number you already know, never withdraw money under pressure or give it to a stranger who comes to your home. And when in doubt, contact the police immediately.

“It was shocking to say the least,” said Sam Sauvageau. “You never think it’s gonna be you, your dad, grandpa, grandma. You just hear about those stories — you don’t think it’s gonna be my parents or my grandparents.”

To recoup some of the money he lost, Eric says he’s willing to sell some of his extensive music collection – something he’s spent years building.

His son has started a fundraiser to avoid that and help his father offset the financial hit.

But they say, speaking out isn’t about the money.

They hope sharing their story will help others avoid a similar fate.

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