A Calgary man is accused of bilking nearly $25,000 from Calgary-area and lower-mainland victims in a tech scam.
Calgary police said the man, Bryan Christopher Syryda, 36, of Calgary, is alleged to have swindled dozens of people and even “romanced several women” to bolster the scam.
Syryda was first reported to police back in 2020 after several people alleged they had given him money for discounted electronics. According to police, victims were told he worked for a well-known tech company and given access to discounted items and group rates.
Several charges were laid.
In August 2021, additional complaints were made about Syryda, police said. They were also made aware of several women who met Syryda via online dating sites and were treated to high-end outings. Syryda’s alleged to have offered the women and their friends deals, police said.
More is alleged to have exchanged hands, but no electronics were delivered.
According to police, they believe money used to attract the women was from prior fraudulent activity. They believe he groomed the women to gain their trust. In some cases, the victims had family members in on the suspected electronics deal. There are victims in Calgary, Cochrane, Surrey, Langley and Delta, according to police.
Some victims provided a few hundred dollars, others thousands, police said.
Syryda is facing two more counts of fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Additional charges are pending.
Calgary police are asking anyone who believes they’ve been a victim of fraud to contact police at 403-266-1234.
