'I was so stupid': Victims of grandparent scam in court to see fraudster sent to prison

A Calgary man who stole at least $127,000 from elderly victims in a "grandparent scam" pleaded guilty to nine counts of fraud on Friday.

Jason Dear, 40, admitted that over a three-month period in 2022, he collected between $6,000 and $27,000 from 10 seniors

The victims ranged in age from 74 to 94.

One victim told the court that Dear got her name and her grandson's name from her husband's obituary.

Several of Dear's victims were in court Friday afternoon. 

One woman, who was in a wheelchair, told Justice Susan Pepper that she gave Dear $19,000.

That was the entirety of her savings, earmarked for her two grandsons. 

"It just made me sick to think I was so stupid to be caught in this scam because I know better," said Shirley. "But it was just so real."

CBC News is using only the first names of the victims in order to protect them from further victimization. 

In each case, the targeted senior received a call from a man pretending to be a loved one — most often a grandson — or a police officer who had arrested the grandson.

The senior was then told the grandson, whose name was always accurate, needed money to post bail. 

In one case, Dear targeted an 85-year-old woman with dementia named Irene.

Irene was told her grandson had been arrested. She took the cash out from her bank, 

Following instructions, Irene placed the money in an envelope that was picked up by Dear.