Canadian Fraud Victim Tracks Down Call Centre Scammer with Help from Leaked Records
Marcel Deschamps, a factory foreman from Alexandria, Ontario, lost his savings in a crypto scam. Desperate for help, he reported the fraud to Ontario Provincial Police, but the investigation hit a dead end.
Then, in February 2024, a woman calling herself “Mary Roberts” contacted him, claiming she could recover his stolen $200,000. She convinced him to transfer $3,500 to a crypto wallet as “proof” he was a legitimate investor, promising a 110% guarantee of returning his funds.
But “Mary Roberts” was another scammer. She had stolen the identity of a real financial adviser and was part of a global fraud network that has defrauded thousands, leaving victims financially devastated.
Unmasking the Fraud Network
Thanks to a massive data leak, journalists from Radio-Canada, Swedish public broadcaster SVT, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) uncovered the internal workings of these scam operations. The leaked records—nearly two terabytes of data from call centres in Georgia, Israel, Spain, Cyprus, Ukraine, and Bulgaria—revealed that over 32,000 victims worldwide had lost at least $275 million USD.
Among the leaked files were audio recordings of more than a million calls and nearly 20,000 video captures of scammers at work. The fraudsters operated like a professional business, complete with HR departments, IT support, and software to track victims.
How the Scam Works
Fraudsters lure victims with fake news articles on social media featuring fabricated endorsements from celebrities like Kevin O’Leary and Elon Musk. Clicking on these ads leads users to fake investment platforms, where scammers manipulate fake accounts to show false profits, persuading victims to invest more. When victims attempt to withdraw funds, they’re met with endless excuses and additional payment requests.
A second wave of fraudsters then contacts victims, posing as government or financial agency representatives, promising to recover their lost money—for yet another fee.
Canadians: A Prime Target
The leaked documents revealed that Canada is one of the top targets for these fraud rings. One scam network made more calls to Canadians than any other nationality, tricking over 8,000 victims—more than those in Spain, Australia, or Britain.
Many Canadians manage their own retirement savings through RRSPs and TFSAs, making them attractive targets, says University of Montreal criminologist Benoît Dupont. Meanwhile, a lack of enforcement makes Canada an easy mark for international scammers.
Tracking Down ‘Mary Roberts’
Among the thousands of files analyzed by Radio-Canada were Deschamps’s recorded conversations with “Mary Roberts.” She had sent him fake ID documents and personal photos to gain his trust. In internal notes, she even bragged about how well she had manipulated him.
When Deschamps finally realized he had been conned again, he confronted her over the phone. In response, she mocked him:
“I can scam whoever I want! Your life is ruined,” she sneered, laughing at his threats to report her to the police.
But she underestimated investigative journalists.
Through the leaked records, journalists discovered that “Mary Roberts” was actually Mariam Charchian, a Georgian scammer working for the fraud ring A.K. Group. Unlike her victims, Charchian was living lavishly—posting photos of luxury trips and expensive jewelry on social media.
When confronted by Deschamps in a surprise phone call, she denied knowing him and quickly hung up. Soon after, she deleted her Facebook account—along with several of her colleagues.
A Crackdown on the Horizon?
Following inquiries from journalists, Georgian prosecutors announced they were investigating A.K. Group. The call centre’s offices in Tbilisi have since gone dark.
For Deschamps, the small victory of exposing his scammer brought some satisfaction, but he hopes authorities will take real action to stop these fraudsters for good.
“What she did to me, she’s doing to people all over the world. Hopefully, this ends soon.”
