Mar 10, 2026
After a five-month investigation, Charlottetown Police Services (CPS) Major Crime Unit uncovered an insidious instance of senior fraud.
On September 16, 2025, the CPS received a report of a care worker operating under a business known as Freedom First Home Care who defrauded a Charlottetown senior of over $200,000 (1).
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The person in question, Sandra Dawn Henderson (53), was self-employed and had made “numerous transactions” into her personal bank account over a two-year period, CPS found.
As a result of the investigation, on February 11, 2026, Henderson was arrested and charged with fraud over $5,000. She was released with conditions and will appear in court on May 7.
Details of how the fraud took place were not given at this time. Allegations regarding Henderson’s actions have not been proven in court.
Not a new narrative
Unfortunately, scamming a senior out of their hard-earned money is not a novel idea. Seniors are repeatedly the target of scam efforts. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s (CAFC) Annual Statistics Report 2024 found that the total amount of funds lost by seniors due to fraud was nearly 28% of the $643 million reported (2) — or around $180 million.
While the agency noted that young Canadians (i.e. 19 and under) are more likely to be hit by fraud, Canadians over the age of 50 lose more money on average per scam. Canadians aged 60 and above saw an average dollar loss of $21,604 per fraud incident, the report stated. That’s around $3,000 higher than the average dollar loss for all age ranges.
Alarmingly, the most common type of fraud committed against seniors in Canada is service fraud, according to the CAFC. Service fraud includes offering assistance to seniors in the form of home services, internet or technology providers, immigration assistance or helping an individual resell a vehicle or property (3).
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Why are seniors targeted specifically?
On its face, it is hard to comprehend why someone would take advantage of their elders, but the Economic and Social Development Canada notes that “fraud is the number one crime against older Canadians” (4).
Some reasons that this cohort is targeted include: being home during the day to answer a scammer at the door or over the phone, having more trust in strangers, or not having a family member or friend nearby to ask for a second opinion.
Moreover, as AI use is nearly ubiquitous, scammers have also been using voice replication technology to convince seniors a loved one needs financial help, often known as a “grandparent scam” (5).
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These tactics show how fraudsters exploit trust and familiarity to target seniors.
How seniors can stay vigilant
Senior fraud can seem disheartening, but staying vigilant and recognizing early warning signs is essential. Here is some advice on how seniors in Canada can stay one step ahead of con artists (6).
- Always confirm phone calls. Con artists regularly pose as bank employees or other institutional workers to earn trust immediately. If a bank, public institution, law enforcement or a family member calls you asking for banking details or personal information, hang up and call their public number to confirm.
- Be wary of interest in your finances. If someone you trust develops a new interest in your financial life (e.g. savings accounts, will/power of attorney information) be especially careful. If you ever feel pressured by this person to share private financial information with them, contact local authorities.
- Limit information shared online. Fraudsters often use information they find about you online to build trust through social engineering before carrying out a scam. Be careful about what and how much you share on social media or other public locations.
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How loved ones can protect the elderly in their lives
Witnessing a senior being taken advantage of by someone who is hired to care for them is revolting But there are a number of ways (7) family members can protect their elderly loved ones from fraud, such as:
- Keeping lines of communication open about suspicious activity to be mindful of
- Keep in contact regularly to prevent feelings of isolation
- Ask an expert, such as a financial advisor, on how to best manage an aging loved one’s finances
For those who want to educate the seniors in their lives, the Canadian Banking Association offers a free financial education program called Your Money Seniors. It is designed to inform seniors on fraud prevention, financial abuse, cash management and other core financial principles over three modules (8).
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
CPS (1); CAFC (2, 3); ESDC (4); CBA (5, 8); BMO (6); EAPO (7);
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Brett Surbey is a corporate paralegal with KMSC Law LLP and freelance writer who has written for Yahoo Finance Canada, Success Magazine, Publishers Weekly, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes Advisor and multiple academic journals. He and his family live in northern Alberta, Canada.
