A 22-year-old Ocala man was arrested last week after he allegedly attempted to scam an elderly Illinois resident out of thousands of dollars by pretending to be the victim’s grandson.
On Thursday, October 5, at around 10:35 a.m., the Lake Forest Police Department (LFPD) received a report regarding possible elder fraud in the 1200 block of Sheridan Road in Lake Forest, Illinois, according to a social media post from the police department.
Upon investigation, LFPD officers discovered that a man – identified as Luc Vautier – had allegedly impersonated an elderly victim’s grandson and claimed that he was arrested following a traffic accident.
Lake Forest police stated that Vautier attempted to extort the victim by requesting $12,000 to secure his release from jail. He then headed to the victim’s residence to allegedly collect this money.
According to LFPD, officers located Vautier at the victim’s front door. They had probable cause to believe a crime had been committed, and Vautier was arrested and transported to the Lake County Jail in Illinois.
Upon further investigation, Lake Forest police also linked Vautier to a similar case that occurred in the city on Tuesday, October 3.
Vautier is being charged with two counts of theft by deception. He made his first appearance in court on Friday, October 6, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, according to Lake County Jail records.
The day after Vautier’s arrest, the Lake Forest Police Department released the following statement:
“This is not a new scam, but the perpetrators are using technology to “spoof” the caller ID to make an incoming call appear to be from a trusted source. As in our case, the imposter claimed to have been in an accident and arrested. The scammer may ask the grandparent “Please don’t let Mom and Dad know,” and may hand the phone over to someone posing as a lawyer seeking immediate payment. Unfortunately, bad actors can now use artificial intelligence technology to mimic voices, convincing people, often the elderly, that their loved ones are in distress.
“We want to take this opportunity to remind everyone to stay vigilant against scam phone calls of all types. Please share this story with your elderly family members and friends to help prevent future crimes.”