CALGARY- Calgary Police said they’re concerned about a scam targeting seniors, that seems to have escalated over the past few weeks.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been at least 12 cases of what’s sometimes called the ‘Grandparent Scam.’ Con artists phone potential victims, pretending to be a family member in desperate need of money for a situation like a car crash or being arrested while travelling.
In most incidents, a second suspect will phone the victim again, claiming to be their relative’s lawyer and relaying instructions about how to transfer money. They specifically ask their victims not to tell other relatives about the call, out of ‘embarrassment.’
Since June, there have been 23 recorded cases in Calgary amounting to $65,000. Fortunately many of the money transfers were cancelled before getting to the con artists, though one incident saw someone scammed out of nearly $12,000.
Tips to avoid the Grandparent Scam
- Do not feel pressure to respond to a request until you have a chance to verify the story.
- Never transfer money, or give out credit card or other financial information, until you can verify the person’s identity and the story, and determine whether it is legitimate.
- Ask the caller questions that only your family member would know the answer to.
- Ask for call back numbers in order to confirm the legitimacy of any call you receive.
- When it doubt, check it out. Verify the story with other friends or family members.
- Immediately report suspicious people to police.
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