'Just absolute scum of the earth': Family upset after senior with dementia defrauded by someone posing as care worker
Seventy-nine-year-old William Herbert thought the woman coming to see him was a nurse who needed to do bloodwork.
But instead of helping him, it’s alleged she stole from him.
Herbert, who has dementia, was still living independently with support last March, when his niece received a phone call from a blocked number.
“A woman identified herself as … a nurse from Fraser Health,” explained Laura-Lee Herbert.
The caller said she’d be visiting Herbert's uncle the next day.
Herbert didn’t think much of it.
“We would have care aides that would go in there three or four times a day and we would have nurses from Fraser Health that would attend his residence once or twice a month,” Herbert said.
But a few days later, when she took her uncle to run errands and they stopped at his TD Bank branch in Surrey, she discovered his bank card was missing.
Inside the bank, a teller would explain that there was only $12 left in his account after someone had made three withdrawls.
“I was just flabbergasted,” Herbert said. “Thankfully, it wasn’t a huge amount, but $600 to someone who lives on pension is still $600.”
Herbert said her uncle is one of 21 alleged victims of a woman who police say posed as a care aide and a nurse, stealing from vulnerable seniors.
“This was a very extensive and complex investigation,” said Cpl. Vanessa Munn of the Surrey RCMP.
“In June 2022, the Surrey RCMP Financial Crime Unit launched an investigation following a fraud involving credit cards that were allegedly stolen from an elderly victim in Richmond,” she said.
Thirty-year-old Ana Chamdal is now facing 77 charges and is being held in custody.
“Some of those charges include fraud over $5,000, unlawfully in a dwelling house, assault, possession of forged documents, possession of stolen credit cards,” explained Munn.
All of the alleged victims are seniors.
Seventy-nine-year-old William Herbert thought the woman coming to see him was a nurse who needed to do bloodwork. But instead of helping him, it’s alleged she stole from him.
“We all have those elderly people in our lives that may be a little bit more vulnerable and potentially on fixed income, so being defrauded, it really does have a large impact on them,” she said. “We just want to remind members of our community about the importance of being in touch with your elderly loved ones, knowing who’s in their home caring for them, and you’re making sure you are taking steps to monitor their finances."
Meanwhile, Herbert said she is still battling her uncle’s bank, trying to get back what a fraudster took.
“Someone who does that to seniors, just absolute scum of the earth,” she said.
But more than that, she said the theft has left her elderly uncle afraid of the very health-care workers he now needs around the clock.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.