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Guelph senior thought he was helping solve fraud case, loses $8,000 instead: police

Click to play video: 'Toronto senior loses $25K in ‘grandparent scam’'
Toronto senior loses $25K in ‘grandparent scam’
There is a common type of scam that targets seniors specifically. It’s called the ‘grandparent scam’ and while it may not be new, it appears to be on the rise. As Caryn Lieberman reports, one Toronto senior lost thousands of dollars to the scam – Mar 30, 2022

Guelph police say a senior has lost $8,000 to a scammer who made him believe he had been assisting with a fraud investigation.

The victim received a call on Tuesday afternoon from someone claiming to be from his bank asking for help, police said in a news release.

“The victim was directed to attend two separate businesses on Eramosa Road where he bought 16 $500 prepaid Visa cards and provided the card numbers to the scammer who was still on the phone,” police said.

The service added that the victim attended a third store where the clerk told him he was being scammed and refused to sell him more cards.

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Click to play video: 'Seniors targeted in growing number of frauds and scams'
Seniors targeted in growing number of frauds and scams

Guelph police are urging the community to be vigilant and cautious when it comes to these types of calls.

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“No police officer or government or bank official will ever instruct you to purchase and send gift cards,” police said.

Always seek advice from a family member, co-worker or trusted friend, the service added.

Anyone in this situation can also call Guelph police for help at 519-824-1212 before following through on instructions received from an unknown person.

Click to play video: 'Scams that prey on seniors'
Scams that prey on seniors

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