The South Simcoe Police Service is issuing another warning about the “grandparent scam” after an 87-year-old Innisfil, Ont., woman fell victim.
Police say the Innisfil woman recently received a call from someone posing as an RCMP officer, who then handed the phone to someone claiming to be the victim’s grandson.
The incident followed the typical scam pattern where the imposter grandchild tearfully says they were arrested and need money for bail, police said.
Police report that the scam usually involves a second person on the phone posing as a police officer, lawyer or court employee who then sends a court “courier” or “agent” to collect the cash at the victim’s home using a “code” provided to the victim by the scammers.
Officers say the victims are warned not to speak to anyone about the case as it is under a “gag order.”
“Emergency scams prey on your fear of a loved one being hurt or in trouble and rely on your immediate emotional reaction. Scammers are skilled at gleaning personal information from you in order to tailor the fraud to your situation,” police said in a statement.
Officers are urging seniors to avoid sharing personal information, particularly on social media, and to report all calls of this nature to the police for further investigation.
Residents are also urged to talk to their older loved ones about these frauds and discuss how to avoid becoming a victim, like hanging up and verifying the story with other family members before proceeding and never giving out personal information.
Officers are also cautioning residents to be wary of anyone telling them not to tell anyone about the call and that there is no cash bail system in Canada.
People will never be required to provide cash, gift cards, e-transfer, or any other form of immediate payment to secure bail, police say.
“If you speak to someone who claims to be a police officer, hang up and call the law enforcement agency to verify the person’s identity,” police said in a statement.