Man arrested for impersonating police officer, defrauding elderly woman of thousands of dollars
Posted December 9, 2023 10:14 pm.
A 27-year-old man is facing a number of charges for pretending to be a police officer and tricking an elderly woman into paying money to get her grandson out of jail.
Investigators say a woman in the area of Grenadier Road and Roncesvalles Avenue area received a call on Wednesday, Dec. 6 from someone claiming to be a police officer who told her she needed to pay $7,500 to a bondsman on behalf of her grandson and that he would be coming by her home to collect the money.
The woman was told not to tell anyone about the money as it would compromise her grandson’s release.
Later that day a man turned up at the woman’s home and collected the money.
The next day, the same person impersonating a police officer contacted her again and demanded an additional $7,500 in bail money. He said the same man would stop by to collect the money.
This time the woman called police who arrested the man at her home when he showed up later that day.
Diego Armando Lillo of Toronto has been charged with two counts of impersonating a police officer, two counts of fraud over $5,000, assault with intent to resist arrest and failing to comply with bail.
Police have released his photo as they believe there may be other victims of this scam.
