Guelph senior loses $4K in grandparent scam

A Guelph senior is the latest victim of a grandparent scam.

The Guelph Police Service says a woman in her 70s received a phone call Wednesday from someone who she thought was her grandson.

The man claimed he had been in a collision and was facing criminal charges.

The woman received a second phone call, about 10 minutes later, from a man claiming to be lawyer. He told the woman he needed $9,000 in cash for her grandson’s bail.

Police say the woman went to her bank and withdrew $4,000 and later that day a man showed up at her south-end home to collect the money.

The woman later called police to report the theft.

The man is described as having an olive skin tone, black brush cut, and was wearing a dark spring jacket, dark shirt and jeans.

INCREASE IN GRANDPARENT SCAMS

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), grandparent emergency scams are becoming more common across the country and reported incidents have nearly doubled this year.

The CAFC says Canadians lost $2.4 million in 2021 to the grandparent and/or emergency scam, and for 2022, that has already reached $4.2 million.

There were 1,352 incidents reported between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, added the CAFC. However some victims never come forward to police.

“It’s not only financial consequences but also emotional consequences, where these victims usually are going to have a sense of fear, discouragement, shame that they have listened to the fraudsters,” Lt. Lynne Labelle of the Montreal police department explained on Nov. 30.

PREVENTION TIPS

So what can people do to protect themselves?

Guelph police shared these tips:

• Never send or give money to people you’re not sure you know
• Take the time to verify the story
• If the story involves a loved one, try to contact that person on your own or ask questions only they would be able to answer (such as the name of a family pet or a family memory)
• Never volunteer personal information to callers

The CAFC advises people to be suspicious of any caller who demands immediate action, especially financial, adding that police and other law enforcement officers will never seek immediate payment. They also say that if the situation doesn’t feel right don’t be afraid to say no.

“Be mindful or be careful of what you post online. Scammers can use details shared on social media platforms,” Jeff Horncastle of the CAFC previously told CTV News. “A lot of times if you list your family members, names of your family members, fraudsters unfortunately can gather this information and use it as an extra tool to try and scam you.”

If you do suspect a call is a scam, the RCMP says:

• Hang up and not provide any information to the caller
• Do not send money to the caller
• Call your family members right away, especially the family member in question
• Report the call to police

-- With reporting from CTV's Pat Foran and Vanessa Lee