Police are again warning residents to be wary of scammers, after an Okanagan grandmother was conned out of thousands of dollars.
Specifically, RCMP said the Kelowna resident fell victim to the emergency scam, which is also known as the grandparent scam.
The scam features a fraudulent caller claiming to be a relative, which in this case was a scammer saying he was an adult grandson.
According to police, the scammer sounded desperate and distressed, and told the grandmother that he was in legal trouble and that he urgently needed money.
RCMP say the scammer claimed to have been involved in a motor vehicle collision, and that he desperately needed funds for the related damages.
“In some cases, the scammer will play on the victim’s emotions and sense of loyalty, telling them they are the only person they trust enough to call for help.”
Police say the public should be mindful that these scammers often mine open or public social media pages, online websites or even family genealogy sites for the information they need to trick their victims.
In some cases, police added, victims will unknowingly provide the scammer with personal information over the phone.
For more information on the emergency scam and many other common scams visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.