Kitchener grandpa explains how he almost fell victim to telephone scam

A Kitchener senior is warning others not to fall for a scam that primarily targets the elderly and has seen in excess of $600,000 lost locally, according to Waterloo regional police.

The scam is not new, and police say it has become all too common in the area.

A man who spoke to CTV News Kitchener, asking to be referred to only as “Opa” due to concern for his safety, said he was nearly the victim of a $10,000 scam when his wife answered a phone call.

“She came running out and said 'there’s a phone call.' My grandson called and he had an accident,” he said.

The caller claimed to be his grandson, saying he was in trouble, even calling him “Opa” – a term his real grandson calls him.

“I picked up the phone, and he said, ‘Opa, it’s me. I am in jail. They found some drugs in the car. I have to go to the hospital to get tested, and a lawyer is going to contact you in a few minutes,”’ he recalled.

Opa said something felt wrong with the phone call, prompting him to call his grandson and ask him if everything was okay. His son confirmed that he was fine and was at school, not in jail.

“I knew right away it was a scam,” he said.

Minutes later, someone claiming to be a lawyer called and said the grandson was in jail and demanded $9,000 for bail.

He asked for a credit card number, however, Opa told the caller that he does not have one.

The caller said he would meet him in front of the Kitchener courthouse, where cash could be exchanged.

"In the meantime, I called the police and told them the whole story,” he said. “The police said, ‘hang up, an officer is going to contact you. Don't say anything anymore."’

The person continued calling, and Opa asked police to take his place and meet the scammer.

“It would have been an easy pick up for them,” he said.

Opa said the experience has been a life lesson, and he has learned to never trust anybody.

An undercover regional police detective told CTV News catching the culprits isn't always that easy.

“It might feel like the police aren't doing anything,” the officer said. “I assure you, we have a team of investigators that are looking at this very, very closely, linking all of these occurrences together and using all the resources at our command.”

Waterloo regional police have arrested eight people for grandparents scams in roughly the last year, four of which were arrested in the last week.

On Wednesday, police said a 21-year-old man from Quebec and a 47-year-old man from Toronto were charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

On Tuesday, a 30-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, both from Quebec, were arrested and charged with fraud over $5,000.

Sgt. John Jaklitsch with the WRPS said of the $600,000 in losses, only about $30,000 has been recovered.