The grandparents scam that was circulating in the Saskatoon area is now believed to be connected to organized crime.

Investigators with the Saskatoon Police Service Economic Crime Section have now charged two 25-year-old Quebec men with committing an indictable offence for the benefit of a criminal organization; one of these men was also charged with recruiting for a criminal organization.

On January 11th around 10:45 p.m. an officer patrolling in the 800 block of 22nd Street West saw a vehicle of interest believed to be connected to suspects involved in the scam, so the vehicle was pulled over without incident.

At the time, two men from Quebec, aged 25 and 26, were charged with 10 counts of Fraud Over $5,000 and Possession of the Proceeds of Crime Over $5,000.

The man originally arrested January 10 in the in the 400 block of Nelson Road, also 25 years old and from Quebec who was facing seven counts of Fraud Over $5,000, had an additional three charges tacked on making it 10 charges in total as well.

Now, as a result of continued investigation, all three men, 25-year-old Ahmad Ebadi, 26-year-old Cedric Oligny and 25-year-old Sofyane Elgamal are also facing two additional charges of Fraud Over $5,000.

Payments primarily involved cash and they showed up in person so there was no electronic footprint.

The way the scam works is the caller says they are your grandchild and that something terrible has happened, a car accident for example, and they need money because they are in jail. In each case, it was reported to investigators that victims handed over money to a man claiming to be a courier, bailiff, or bail bondsman.

The Saskatoon Police Service says the grandparents scam has bilked area residents of more than $100,000 and there are at least 20 victims who lost money in the scam.