Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
A Canadian was among 17 missionaries allegedly kidnapped in Haiti on Saturday, Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement on its website.
The U.S.-based mission organization said Sunday that five children are also believed to be in the group.
The organization said they were on returning from a trip to help build an orphanage.
"We request urgent prayer for the group of Christian Aid Ministries workers who were abducted," the organization said in its statement. "We are seeking God's direction for a resolution, and authorities are seeking ways to help."
The organization did not name any of the abducted people, including the Canadian.
Global Affairs Canada said Sunday it was aware of media reports that a Canadian citizen had been kidnapped in Haiti.
"Canadian government officials in Haiti are working with local authorities," Global Affairs said in an emailed statement.
"The Government of Canada's first priority is always the safety and security of its citizens. Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed."
Haitian police Insp. Frantz Champagne says the 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the group in Ganthier, east of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Authorities say the gang, whose name roughly translates to 400 "inexperienced men," controls the Croix-des-Bouquets area that includes Ganthier.
Haiti is once again struggling with a spike in gang-related kidnappings that had diminished in recent months following the fatal shooting of President Jovenel Moise in July and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck its southwest region in August, killing more than 2,200 people.
A United Nations report says 328 kidnappings were reported in Haiti in the first eight months of this year, compared with 234 for all of 2020.
Authorities say the ransoms demanded by the gangs have ranged from as low as a couple hundred dollars to more than $1 million.
Kidnapping victims have included schoolchildren, doctors, police officers, and busloads of passengers. In April, one gang kidnapped five priests and two nuns, which prompted protests.
Haiti is now preparing for more protests on Monday to decry the lack of security in the impoverished country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2021.
-- with files from The Associated Press.
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.