Real Estate Mogul? No, Just a Guy Allegedly Scamming Grandmas for $30 Million

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So, picture this: a 42-year-old bloke, Gareth West, living his Canadian best life (read: not in prison), allegedly decides, “You know what the world needs? More elderly Americans in distress.” Fast-forward—the Mounties come knocking, and suddenly Gareth’s winter isn’t looking so maple-syrupy. 🥶

Gareth, who apparently thought ‘real estate developer’ was just a fun costume for adults, allegedly masterminded a sprawling “grandparent scam network.”
—Think less Monopoly, more criminal LinkedIn endorsements. He allegedly wrangled more than 20 “colleagues” across call centers in the glamorous Montreal area. Dream big. ☎️

CBC/Radio-Canada’s on it: They report our guy awaits a glamorous extradition to the US, where he’ll potentially be starring in a court drama, charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. (Two epic buzzwords for any LinkedIn profile—but, uh, maybe don’t try this at home.)

The alleged script? The scammers called up unsuspecting Americans, worked their best “Grandma, it’s me, I’m in jail!” routine, and then—oscars for everyone—connected them to cartoonishly fake ‘lawyers’ or ‘bail agents.’ Cash pickups were organized, dignity not included. 😬

If you’re thinking, ‘But surely people didn’t fall for this?’—brace yourself. Police raided their operation in March, nabbing 23 of West’s alleged scam squad like the world’s worst office team-building exercise.
Apparently, 67 weeks of this nonsense managed to rake in $30 million. That’s, like, enough to buy every Werther’s Original on the planet. Or, you know, forty years in a US prison. Tick-tock, Gareth. 🕰️🍬

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2025-07-08 12:21