Be aware of ‘grandparent scams’

Emergency scams, also known as grandparent scams, commonly target loving grandparents, taking advantage of their emotions to rob them of their money.

Fraudsters are targeting seniors by calling and pretending to be a family member in distress, the police, or a justice official claiming that a loved one or grandchild is in trouble and needs money immediately. In other cases, the scammer will pretend to be an old neighbour or a family friend in trouble. Common scenarios include having been in a car accident, getting locked up in jail, or trouble returning home from a foreign country.

The caller will ask questions, getting the grandparent to reveal personal information. They’ll also swear them to secrecy, saying that they are embarrassed and don’t want other family members to find out what’s happened.

Potential victims are encouraged to be suspicious of calls if they require immediate action, and are advised to hang up and contact the family member directly. Take time to verify the story by asking the caller a few personal questions or pressing your caller for details. Scammers are counting on you wanting to quickly help your loved one in an emergency.

Also be suspicious if the caller doesn’t provide details such as the location of the jail or cannot identify the police service. The courts won’t ask for cash to bail out someone in custody and will require people to be present in court.

Police recommend calling the non- emergency line at 1-888-310-1122 to verify the story or confirm the name and badge number of the officer calling. When at the bank, tell the truth about why you’re taking out large sums of cash as bank tellers are very familiar with scams. Never send cash, cryptocurrencies or any other funds to unknown persons, unverified addresses or bank accounts.

Anyone who has been scammed is encouraged to contact the local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or antifruadcentre.ca.