Over 70 arrests have been made over the past three years throughout the country for so-called grandparent scam crimes, including at least one in every Canadian province. Photo Credit: Facebook/Niagara Region Police Service.
The Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) is warning local seniors about so-called “Grandparent Scams” after receiving a number of complaints throughout the area.
The warning was issued in a press release late last week.
Grandparent scams, a variation of emergency scams, use urgency and manipulation to try to extort money from grandparents or older relatives to help their younger relatives who they are told are supposedly in danger.
Generally, fraudsters phone seniors, usually via cold calls, and claim to be a law enforcement official, lawyer or family member calling on behalf of a grandchild. The fraudsters will tell grandparents that a loved one was in an emergency situation and demand that the senior citizen relatives provide payments to help.
Fraudsters will usually tell seniors that their loved ones have been in a collision, were charged by law enforcement, are injured or sick, or are in legal peril. They then tell the seniors that an immediate payment is needed to cover things like bail, fines, or legal fees in order to stop a family member from facing time in jail or to get them released.
The fraudsters will ask for money. Quite often they specifically ask for cash. The fraudsters will also tell those senior relatives that there is a court-imposed gag order or that the police have forbidden supposed victims from speaking with their loved ones to try to pull off the scam.
Recommendations for senior citizens who might be faced with situations like these include verifying who is calling, never sharing personal information over the phone, never feeling pressured, asking family or friends for their advice, and even considering calling police.
NPRS released audio of an example of a recent grandparent scam. A Niagara senior received a call from a man pretending to be a police officer telling her that her grandchild had been in a car accident and that marijuana was found in the grandchild’s car. The scammer then told the grandmother that her granddaughter needed money to post bond.
When the senior asked for the amount of the bond, the scammer said that nearly $10,000 was needed. The scammer also demanded cash and said a wire transfer or certified cheque would take too long to clear. She was told to tell the bank that the cash was for a home renovation project so as to not raise alarm.
One key piece of advice from NPRS is for any senior facing such a situation to call the supposed victim back at their actual phone number as a way of protecting themselves from scams.
Over 70 arrests have been made over the past three years throughout the country for so-called grandparent scam crimes, including at least one in every Canadian province. Canadian seniors lost a total of $23 million over that period due to such incidents, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
More information and tips from the NPRS can be found HERE.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
