Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced). Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:01I'm Adrian Arseneau. This is the National Canada's newscast.
00:00:22[theme music]
00:00:29[Frédéric Zalac] We're overseas, with an extraordinary look
00:00:33inside a fraud factory.
00:00:35[man]
00:00:37[Zalac] Thousands of recordings have been leaked,
00:00:40capturing scammers in action. [man 2]
00:00:44[Zalac] As they target the life savings
00:00:46of unsuspecting Canadians.
00:00:48I was stupid to go there, but they are good.
00:00:52They know how to ruin your mind.
00:00:55[Zalac] Fraudsters who are fearless, even when confronte.
00:00:58[Marcel] [Mary]
00:01:03[Zalac] Marketplace and Enquête team up to find out
00:01:06who, or what, will stop them.
00:01:08If there's someone who could fix this,
00:01:11is Prime Minister Mark Carney. Why is it still happening?
00:01:15This is your Marketplace.
00:01:17[dramatic music]
00:01:21♪
00:01:22[Zalac] We're on the road in southeastern Ontario,
00:01:25on a journey to the centre of a scam...
00:01:28[phone ringing] ...to meet a man we've only heard,
00:01:32and recorded phone calls, with a woman half a world awa.
00:01:37[Marcel] [Mary] -[Marcel] Yes. -[Mary]
00:01:47[Zalac] Mary is a scammer,
00:01:49using a fake name and stolen photos to identify herself.
00:01:53In this call, her victim, Marcel Deschamps,
00:01:56realizes she's scamming him.
00:01:58[Marcel] -[Mary] Oh, Marcel. -[Marcel]
00:02:02[Mary] You will apologize. -[Mary] No, no. -[Marcel]
00:02:07[Mary]
00:02:10[Marcel]
00:02:13[Mary]
00:02:17[Marcel] Well...
00:02:20[Zalac] We've learned that Mary's real name
00:02:22is Mariam Charchian.
00:02:25We find her on social media,
00:02:27enjoying a lush life at Marcel's expense.
00:02:31[Marcel]
00:02:39[Mary] [Marcel] [Mary]
00:02:44-[Marcel] Yeah, yeah. -[Mary] You don't mean to anyone, oka?
00:02:47[Marcel] [Mary] You don't mean to anyone. [Marcel]
00:02:50[unsettling music]
00:02:53[Zalac] How we found this call, and came to learn so much
00:02:57about this case is a story in itself.
00:03:00♪ It begins overseas,
00:03:03in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
00:03:06In the capital, Tbilisi,
00:03:08at this building that houses a call centre,
00:03:11better described as a fraud factory.
00:03:15[Luke]
00:03:20[Zalac] An anonymous source is leaking data
00:03:22to journalists from inside. [Alex]
00:03:26-[woman] Yeah. -[man] Yeah. [Zalac] A million recordings of scammers
00:03:30phoning their victims, pretending to be financial advisors.
00:03:34[man]
00:03:39[Zalac] Leaked screen recordings
00:03:41capture their computers in action.
00:03:44The scammers' own files detail their deceit
00:03:47as they promise big returns through phony investments.
00:03:51[woman]
00:03:57[Zalac] Canadians are some of their favorite targets.
00:04:00[woman]
00:04:04♪
00:04:06[Zalac] All this extraordinary data is first leaked
00:04:10to Swedish broadcaster, SVT...
00:04:12Hey, friends, welcome to the call.
00:04:15[Zalac] ...who then shares it with CBC,
00:04:16Radio-Canada, and other media outlets.
00:04:19At one point, they were just using Western Union.
00:04:22[Zalac] We're teaming up,
00:04:24along with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Projt
00:04:27to track down the victims, and unmask the scammers.
00:04:30[dramatic music]
00:04:32[Mary]
00:04:35[Marcel]
00:04:36[Zalac] We spend weeks analyzing 1,600 calls to Canadian victi,
00:04:41and figure out the man in this one is Marcel Descham.
00:04:45[Mary]
00:04:47[Marcel]
00:04:50[Mary] [Marcel]
00:04:54[Mary]
00:04:56[Marcel]
00:04:59♪
00:05:04So, Marcel Deschamps wasn't returning our phone calls,
00:05:07wasn't answering our emails.
00:05:09So we decided to head here to Alexandria, Ontario,
00:05:13to try to find him. And we managed to reach one of his relatives
00:05:17who talked to him, and he's agreed to meet us
00:05:20at the local Tim Hortons. [traffic rumbling]
00:05:23Marcel, Frédéric Zalac from CBC Marketplace.
00:05:26We're very happy to have been able to track you down here.
00:05:30You weren't answering our calls, though.
00:05:32[Marcel] Every day I get phone calls of fraud.
00:05:34And for sure, I was-- I thought you guys were fraud, also.
00:05:38Like, I-- I was sure you weren't real.
00:05:41[Zalac] Marcel Deschamps was a factory foreman,
00:05:44who worked hard to build a nest egg for his retirement.
00:05:49Those life savings are gone n.
00:05:51Stolen through investment sca.
00:05:54That used to be my residence. This nice, old Victorian home.
00:05:58[somber music] [Zalac] And what happened?
00:06:01With the fraud, I had to sell everything,
00:06:03and... move to a small apartment,
00:06:06a bachelor apartment now.
00:06:07♪
00:06:10[Zalac] Marcel lives here, with his regrets.
00:06:14[Marcel] My life is totally different now. Totally.
00:06:16I lost a lot of trust in people. Faith in people...
00:06:20♪
00:06:28...to trust people.
00:06:30[Zalac] Like so many others, Marcel's troubles begin
00:06:34with something he sees on Facebook, similar to this.
00:06:38Important news for all residents of Canada. Kevin O'Leary is offering you the opportunity
00:06:42to earn up to $7,000 Canadian dollars a week.
00:06:45[Zalac] It looks like a news story from CTV,
00:06:48but it's totally made up, with the help of AI.
00:06:51[Kevin O'Leary AI] My goal is simple.
00:06:58[Zalac] All you need is a few hundred dollars to join in.
00:07:05[Zalac] A more recent trend has fake news reports
00:07:08featuring Prime Minister Mark Carney.
00:07:16[Zalac] He urges Canadians to sign up for government-bacd
00:07:20investment programs, to combat things
00:07:22like inflation or tariffs.
00:07:24We're proud to support Agentic AI.
00:07:27[Zalac] When Canadians do sign up,
00:07:30their contact info is immediately sold
00:07:32to the overseas fraud factori.
00:07:34It was too easy to get in.
00:07:37For people at home, don't bite.
00:07:41Nothing is real now, and nowadays, on the internet.
00:07:46[Zalac] Marcel's losses escalate rapidly.
00:07:49He becomes desperate to get his money back. There's always that little hope
00:07:53that somebody out there will help you. I guess it's like gambling, right?
00:07:56If you're playing cards and you're losing money, well, I'm going to put another 20 in. I'm gonna get it back.
00:08:00[Zalac] That's when Mariam Charchian,
00:08:03aka Mary Roberts, comes calli.
00:08:06[phone ringing]
00:08:08She tells Marcel she's a cryptocurrency expert
00:08:11who knows how to recover his stolen funds.
00:08:14[Mary]
00:08:22[Zalac] Mariam works to build trust with Marcel
00:08:25using the identity of a real registered financial advisor
00:08:29named Mary Roberts.
00:08:32She says this passport is her, but it's a fake.
00:08:36And when Marcel sends her a photo of himself,
00:08:39Mariam, or Mary, gushes that he looks like a teenager.
00:08:45In the fraudster's database,
00:08:47she notes that, "Marcel has started to love m"
00:08:51and that she's asked him for $10,000.
00:08:55[phone ringing]
00:08:58Those same scammers set their sights
00:09:01on Ginette Gauthier of Drummondville, Quebec. [Ginette]
00:09:05[man] [Ginette] Good morning to you, too. [man]
00:09:09[Ginette] Yes, this is.
00:09:10[Zalac] After she, too, responds to an ad
00:09:13for an investment scheme supposedly endorsed
00:09:16by a Quebec celebrity.
00:09:18[Luke]
00:09:21[Zalac] Ginette is an accounting technician,
00:09:23and her chat with Lucas leads to many more
00:09:27that convince her she's cashing in. How did they make you believe
00:09:30that you were making a lot of money? With the application,
00:09:34I saw my investment goes up,
00:09:37uh, really fast.
00:09:40[Zalac] That app is, in fact, a fake investment platform
00:09:44that shows Ginette fake returns on her money.
00:09:48[Ginette, on recording]
00:09:51[Luke]
00:09:57[Ginette and Luke laugh] [Luke] Okay.
00:10:09[Zalac] Ginette is urged to step out of her comfort zoe
00:10:13to invest thousands in a projt
00:10:15they claim is related to Tesl.
00:10:17So when they ask you to put in an extra $3,000,
00:10:21what did you do? I gave them the $3,000,
00:10:25and on Monday,
00:10:27I had $50,000 or $60,000
00:10:32on the application. My investments go up-- woo!
00:10:36And that's when I said to Lucas,
00:10:40I want to withdraw my money, because it was enough for me.
00:10:45After that, the nightmare began.
00:10:49[Zalac] Coming up, the scammers are upping the ante...
00:10:53[man]
00:10:58[Zalac] ...as we zero in on them, after the break.
00:11:01I mean, we know what's going on in here. -[man] Yes, please, obviously-- -We know that people are being
00:11:04-scammed in this building. -[man] Both of you leave, sir.
00:11:05♪
00:11:12♪
00:11:15[phone ringing]
00:11:17[Luke]
00:11:19[Zalac] The pressure is mounting on Ginnette Gauthier
00:11:22of Drummondville, Quebec. [Ginette]
00:11:25[Luke] [Ginette] Yes.
00:11:29[Zalac] She wants to cash out profits
00:11:31from an investment she thinks is real,
00:11:34but in fact, she's getting scammed.
00:11:39[Zalac] These recordings have been leaked from an overseas fraud factor,
00:11:43and now they're telling Ginette she needs to pay more.
00:11:46[Gauthier]
00:11:51The scammers are intimidating, claiming she may be
00:11:54under investigation for money laundering in the UK.
00:11:59[man]
00:12:08The constant demands for money push Ginette
00:12:12to the breaking point.
00:12:14[man]
00:12:20[Gauthier]
00:12:23Yeah, so maybe you need to listen to this.
00:12:51I cry. I cry all night.
00:12:55But I don't want...
00:12:56I doesn't want to tell nobody about that.
00:13:02What helped you to... This little guy.
00:13:07He helped me.
00:13:10If Charlot hadn't been here...
00:13:14Uh... Maybe me too.
00:13:19[Zalac] In total, Ginette loses $20,000,
00:13:22half of her yearly income...
00:13:25...to the scam artists working here,
00:13:29in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
00:13:33In a few short years, they've ripped off victims
00:13:36to the tune of $50 million.
00:13:39Behind us, there's actually a call center of scammers.
00:13:44Our colleagues gather in Tbilisi to stake them out.
00:13:47It's really strange. How many buildings do you see
00:13:50where all the windows are covered?
00:13:52Leaked records from inside show at least 85 people
00:13:56employed here, by a company calling itself the AK Group.
00:14:03We're like 20 metres away from the entrance.
00:14:06Our colleagues make their mov. [beeping]
00:14:12Hoping to confront the fraud factory's bosses.
00:14:15Hi. [journalist] Hi, good morning. Hello.
00:14:19-We're looking... -We're from Swedish television. And from ZDF.
00:14:22But a security guard won't let them pass.
00:14:25I mean, we know what's going on here. We know that people are being scammed.
00:14:30We know that people are being scammed in here.
00:14:35♪ A little party never ♪
00:14:37If this video is an indicatio, the scammers aren't too worri.
00:14:42They celebrate their successes with elaborate parties,
00:14:46and with prizes that can include luxury cars.
00:14:50Their leader is pictured here on the left,
00:14:53a 34-year-old man named Akaki Kevkishvili.
00:14:58Fraudster Mariam Charchian, known as Mary Roberts,
00:15:02is one of his best.
00:15:04She pocketed as much as $29,000 US a month
00:15:09by shaking down victims like Marcel Deschamps.
00:15:13[Mariam]
00:15:16[Marcel]
00:15:21Marcel figures out she's playing him.
00:15:24But when he demands his money back or else,
00:15:26Mariam can only laugh.
00:16:03♪ [Zalac] That laughter...
00:16:07[Mariam laughing on recording] doesn't sit well with Chris Sutton
00:16:11of the Ontario Provincial Police. [Mariam] You're so stupid.
00:16:15[Zalac] He's a special constable with their cyber-enabled fraud team.
00:16:19How does it feel to hear her, basically
00:16:22laugh at him, but at you guys too,
00:16:25by saying, you'll never catch me?
00:16:27It's certainly frustrating.
00:16:31It's very difficult to hear conversations like that.
00:16:35But ultimately, I think for a lot of us,
00:16:38myself included, that sort of just adds fuel to the fire.
00:16:42[Zalac] Chris's team has managed to disrupt some scams,
00:16:46and freeze millions in stolen money. But it isn't easy.
00:16:50What do you think is the problem here?
00:16:53I think one of the biggest problems in the industry right now is
00:16:57that international coordination and international cooperation.
00:17:00Even the victims don't play along.
00:17:03Most never tell police they've been scammed.
00:17:06We need those victim complaints.
00:17:08They are sort of our livelihood
00:17:10as a starting point for an investigation.
00:17:13What are the chances for the victims of getting any funds back?
00:17:17While time is of the essence,
00:17:19the faster that someone can report,
00:17:22there is definitely an increased likelihood.
00:17:24But unfortunately, there is no guarantees in this industry.
00:17:30After the break, time to confront the minister in char.
00:17:33If there's someone who could fix this,
00:17:36is Prime Minister Mark Carney.
00:17:38Why is it still happening? ♪
00:17:50[Zalac] It's the dead of night in Tbilisi,
00:17:54And our Georgian colleagues ae ready to confront the top dog
00:17:58of a fraud factory that's been scamming Canadians.
00:18:07Bodyguards block their path as Akaki Kevkishvili
00:18:11takes cover in the back of his SUV.
00:18:14♪
00:18:18Clearly, a bigger strategy is needed to fight the fraudster.
00:18:24So we're in Ottawa, to ask
00:18:26Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree
00:18:30what the plan is.
00:18:32Canadians are losing their life savings in investment scams,
00:18:35that often start with fake articles, with deepfakes.
00:18:40I'd like to show you just an example of this.
00:18:44We show him how scammers are using AI-generated videos
00:18:48of the Prime Minister to attract victims.
00:18:51[AI Carney] That's why we're proud to support
00:18:53Agentic AI, a breakthrough platform
00:18:56that allows Canadians to take part in wealth buildi.
00:18:59If there's someone who could fix this,
00:19:02is Prime Minister Mark Carney. Why is it still happening?
00:19:05This is outrageous.
00:19:07The use of fake images and fake narratives.
00:19:12There's fraud going on in many parts of the world,
00:19:15including Canada, and I'm just dismayed by it.
00:19:19Look, we have been investing heavily into fighting fraud.
00:19:24So Australia is starting
00:19:26to force banks, telecoms and social media
00:19:31to stop these ads from getting to consumers.
00:19:35Why is Canada not doing the same thing?
00:19:37We've had a number of attempts in holding
00:19:41our tech companies to account. We have not been quite successful.
00:19:45As you're aware, it's quite complicated,
00:19:49and oftentimes an issue where we've had a lot of pushback.
00:19:54So it is imperative that tech companies play ball.
00:19:59'Cause if you don't force Facebook or the social media
00:20:02or the banks to actually do these things, they don't do it.
00:20:07Both Meta and Google tell us it's against their policies
00:20:11to run ads that are fraudulent or promote scams.
00:20:15They say they are taking steps,
00:20:16but that scammers are evading their detection.
00:20:21Back in Alexandria, Ontario,
00:20:23scam victim Marcel Deschamps is taking action of his own.
00:20:29Hello, Mariam.
00:20:31We find a personal cell phone number
00:20:34for fraudster Mariam Charchia.
00:20:37So Marcel turns the tables and calls her up.
00:20:40It's Marcel. You don't remember me?
00:20:43You told me I could never find you.
00:20:46I could never reach you.
00:20:52Marcel. You don't remember me. Marcel.
00:20:59You live in Tbilisi, right? Georgia?
00:21:07Are you Mariam Charchian?
00:21:11Or are you Mary Roberts?
00:21:13Hey, Mariam. You stole money from me.
00:21:17We found you. -[beeping] -[system] Call ended.
00:21:28[Zalac] As for the fraud factory itse,
00:21:30because of our reporting, this location is closed now,
00:21:34though we discover the scammers open elsewhere.
00:21:38Georgian prosecutors say they're investigating,
00:21:42but no arrests have been made.
00:21:45And the world over, the calls keep coming.
00:21:48-[phone ringing] -[man] Hello? [woman] Hello? [man 2] Hello?
00:21:51[man 3] Oh, hello. -[man 4] Hello? -[woman 2] Hello...
00:22:00[Tomlinson] Next week, after we investigate...
00:22:03We noticed water seeping through the ceiling one day.
00:22:06Then the inspection was done. A big-time renovator closes its doors.
00:22:10Doesn't look like anyone's here.
00:22:12Clients out thousands for projects unfinished.
00:22:15They scammed me. That's how I felt. Promises broken.
00:22:18Consumers don't have the protection that they think they have.
00:22:21So we go overseas.
00:22:23We are on our way to Bulgaria.
00:22:25Searching for the man behind it all.
00:22:28Hello? Ivan Atanasov?
00:22:31Next week on your Marketplace.
00:22:36♪
00:22:51Hi there, Canada.
00:22:53Hi Siri,
00:22:55How are you holding up?
00:23:00It's been difficult to say the least.
00:23:04I intend to resign as party leader, as Prime Minister.
00:23:10The funny, not so funny thing about the
00:23:12world right now
00:23:14is the thing that can consume your thoughts
00:23:17is the thing you maybe didn't see coming.
00:23:22My favorite word? Tariff
00:23:25is going to be cracking down. Minimum 10% tariff on all
00:23:28imports. Some contracts are already getting cancelled.
00:23:31Facing a potential 25 or even 50% tariff on steel exports.
00:23:34We're already hearing about layoffs. Feeling the financial
00:23:38pain of Canada's 25% counter tariffs. He believes that
00:23:41Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state
00:23:44when our sovereignty is threatened.
00:23:47You do what you can. He is trying to break us. So you have
00:23:51questions. How should Canadians be preparing for that next trip?
00:23:55What is your plan? How seriously are you taking
00:23:58this threat of 100% tariffs on foreign made films?
00:24:01A lot of questions. How is Hamilton bracing for tariff
00:24:04impact? When we talk about counter
00:24:07terrorists, do those affect you? How much does it cost to be
00:24:10patriotic when picking items at the grocery store?
00:24:13And while your elbows have been up, elbows up.
00:24:18For us, it's the sleeves rolled up.
00:24:21Because you need answers about your neighborhood, your world,
00:24:25your Canada,
00:24:27and what it means for all of us to say we are Canadian.
00:24:35Our journalists countrywide and all over the world are on the
00:24:39case.
00:24:41Do you think you're gonna have to close?
00:24:44I hate to think about that.
00:24:52I'm about 15 kilometers from the Russian border. Where are
00:24:56Canada's allies? Where are Canada's markets?
00:24:59What is this country's place on the planet?
00:25:02It's the uncertainty that's the
00:25:04this issue. What is the next thing to happen and what will
00:25:08it mean for all of us? We assume that it will be a
00:25:12difficult Rd. Canada. We got you and we are right there
00:25:17right beside you trying to make sense of it with you.
00:25:34Hi there, Canada.
00:25:38How are you holding up?
00:25:42The funny, not so funny thing about the
00:25:44world right now
00:25:46is the thing that can consume your thoughts
00:25:50is the thing you maybe didn't see coming.
00:25:54My favorite word, tariff, minimum 10% tariff on all
00:25:57imports. Some contracts are already getting cancelled.
00:26:01We're already hearing about layoffs. Feeling the financial
00:26:04pain of Canada's 25% counter tariffs. He is trying to break
00:26:08us. So you have questions. How should Canadians be preparing
00:26:12for that next trip? What is your plan?
00:26:15How seriously are you taking this threat of 100% tariffs on
00:26:19foreign made films? A lot of questions. How is
00:26:22Hamilton bracing for tariff impact?
00:26:24How much does it cost to be patriotic when picking items at
00:26:28the grocery store? And while your elbows have been
00:26:31up, elbows up.
00:26:34For us, it's the sleeves rolled up.
00:26:36Because you need answers about your neighborhood, your world,
00:26:41your Canada,
00:26:45our journalist countrywide, and all over the world are on
00:26:48the case. Do you think you're going to have to close?
00:26:52I hate to think about that.
00:27:01Where are Canada's allies? Where are Canada's markets?
00:27:04What is this country's place on the planet?
00:27:07It's the uncertainty that's the biggest issue. What is the next
00:27:11thing to happen and what will it mean for all of us?
00:27:16We got you and we are right there right beside you trying
00:27:21to make sense of it with you.
00:28:36Hi there Canada.
00:28:40The funny, not so funny thing about the
00:28:42world right now is the thing you maybe didn't see coming.
00:28:48My favorite word? Tariff. Minimum 10% tariff on
00:28:51all imports. We're already hearing about layoffs. He is
00:28:56trying to break us.
00:28:59So you have questions. How should Canadians be preparing
00:29:02for that next trip? How seriously are you taking
00:29:05this threat? How is Hamilton bracing for
00:29:07tariff impact? And while your elbows have been
00:29:10up, elbows up, for us it's the sleeves rolled
00:29:13up. Because you need answers.
00:29:17Our journalists countrywide and all over the world are on the
00:29:22case. Canada, we got you and we are right
00:29:25there, right beside you trying to make
00:29:28sense of it with you.
00:29:36To truly understand a news story, you need to connect with the people in the moment.
00:29:40Everybody's in panic mode, witnessing their struggles and
00:29:43resilience.
00:29:45I'm OK. This is really my last hurrah. Investigating and
00:29:49digging for the fact it's actually a picture of me and
00:29:52her, you know? See. Yeah, you can see that for sure.
00:29:55That's on her tombstone to get you answers. That's your friend
00:29:59and that's you.
00:30:01I'm Adrian Arseneau. This is the National Canada's newscast.
00:30:24[Steven D'Souza] On this edition of The Fifth Estate... [shouting]
00:30:26We're on St. Mary's Bay in Nova Scotia,
00:30:29the richest part of Canada's billion dollar lobster industry,
00:30:33where there's a war on the water.
00:30:36-Go home. -You go home, lady.
00:30:40[Steven] Intimidation and frequent threats of violence.
00:30:42Places burning down, windows getting smashed in,
00:30:45houses being shot up, people getting shot at.
00:30:48You hear stories it's a little lawless sometimes around rural Nova Scotia.
00:30:51The fight over who gets to fish here
00:30:53has left communities bitter and divided. [Matthew] We're not pirates.
00:30:57We're not the villains. [Steven] Does racism play a role here? Uh...