Suspect sought in multiple fraud cases targeting older people in Laval

Laval police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a female suspect they believe is involved in several “false representation” fraud cases that occurred in the city over the past year.

Investigators have identified nearly 10 similar cases that took place since June, Laval’s police service said Tuesday. Most of the victims live in seniors residences.

During the attempted fraud, a first suspect contacted the victims on their home phone. Police said he posed as an employee or investigator of various financial institutions, claiming the person had been victims of credit card fraud. After obtaining their personal identification numbers, he asked them to deposit their cards in an envelope and told them the investigator in charge of their fraud file was Jean Melançon.

The female suspect then went to the victims’ homes to retrieve the envelope, police said. She identified herself as a police officer and used the number 960011. The suspect is believed to have used several aliases, including Claudia Spinelli, Claudia Pinelli, Maria Moreli, Claudia Morelli, Sabrina Spinelli.

The dark-haired woman, believed to be between 20 and 30 years old, is about 1.68 metres tall (5-foot-5). She speaks French.

Anyone who has information can call the Laval police information line at 450-662-4636 or call 911 and mention the file LVL-220626-043.