Two people from Quebec have been charged after a 94-year-old man in Hamilton was exploited in a “grandparent scam.”

According to investigators, a male impersonating an RCMP officer reached out to the victim on Nov. 1 and told him his grandson had been arrested for having a large quantity of drugs in his vehicle.

The caller demanded the victim pay a $120,000 bond for his grandson’s release.

Another man was then put on the phone posing as the 94-year-old’s grandson. The scammer franticly pleaded with the victim to pay the bond, police said.

“Worried about his grandson, the victim agreed to pay a portion of the demanded bond money, as it was all he had at the time,” Hamilton police said in a news release issued Thursday.

“The monetary loses sustained were minimized by the financial institution that stepped in when the victim attempted to obtain money from their account.”

Investigators said later that same day, a woman pretending to be a court courier went to the victim’s home and collected the money.

The victim was informed at that point there was a court imposed gag order and that he was not allowed to tell anyone about the transaction. If he did so, his grandson would not be released.

The following day the victim received more phone calls from the suspects demanding the rest of the bond money. Police say he was directed to put the money in an envelope and leave it at an undisclosed location.

“At this point, the victim became suspicious and notified the Hamilton Police Service,” investigators said.

On Thursday, police said two suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the incident.

Quebec residents Emmanuel Dimotakis, 19, and Daniel Gallucci, 21, have each been charged with fraud over $5,000. Dimotakis is facing an additional charge for allegedly impersonating a peace officer.

The charges have not been proven in court.

Police say they are still searching for an additional female suspect in the scam. Anyone with information is being asked to contact police or reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously.

Investigators are also warning police services will not collect money for court purposes.