An Ontario man has been convicted of defrauding more than a dozen seniors in this province and Nova Scotia out of more than $100,000 as part of a so-called grandparents scam.
Paranoid, embarrassed, gullible, traumatized, terrified and in some cases, left broke.
Those are just some of the words used by the elderly victims of 25-year-old Charles Gillen as they explained how his crimes affected their lives.
He was the man sent to their homes to collect thousands of dollars to bail out grandkids, nephews and nieces said to be in big trouble with the law.
Between January and March of 2023, Gillen went door-to-door in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, following up on phone calls with fake stories requiring big money to get them off the hook.
They included accidents involving drugs or where a pregrnant woman had been seriously injured.
It resulted in panicked seniors aged 70-88 rushing to their banks to withdraw amounts ranging from a few thousand to $35,000.
They were even warned there were court gag orders in place, and told to lie if asked what the money was really for.
Gillen was caught on video and identified by witnesses as doing the dirty courier work, and he admitted same today by pleading guilty.
Who was responsible for making the initial phone calls was not part of this case.
One victim, an 87-year-old widow, said all she could think about was her “precious granddaughter.”
“I never imagined so much emotional upheaval in my senior years,” she stated in her victim impact statement. “There’s not enough years left for me, to forget.”
The sentencing hearing continues this afternoon in Supreme Court.
Earlier story
An Ontario man, accused of defrauding thousands of dollars from more than a dozen seniors in this province and Nova Scotia, has been convicted of the charges against him.
Twenty-five-year-old Charles Gillen pleaded guilty to a reduced list of 14 fraud charges against him after taking a plea deal with the Crown.
The court is now moving directly to victim impact statements in relation to the so-called “grandparents scam.”
The court has heard how Gilllen collected thousands of dollars from people – mainly well-meaning and panicked seniors – who were led to believe they were providing bail money for loved ones who had run afoul of the law.
VOCM News will have more information later today on this developing story.
BREAKING || Charles Gillen, 25, of Ontario convicted of defrauding thousands of dollars from more than a dozen seniors in a so-called “grandparents’ scam” in N.S. and NL. pic.twitter.com/WfbGYqkccQ
— VOCM News (@VOCMNEWS) November 28, 2025
