‘Grandparent scam’ devastates Saskatchewan woman

Watch the video above: A Saskatchewan woman talks about how she was taken in by the ‘grandparent scam.’

SASKATOON – In what’s now becoming known as the “grandparent scam”, retirees drain their bank accounts for people who claim to be close family.

Karen Embree is a great-grandmother who would do anything for her family.

She received a phone call from what sounded like her granddaughter Vanessa, who said she was in trouble.

“She said ‘grandma? …I was in an accident, and I need some money’, she said ‘I have my legal aid here, and he will tell you what you need to do,” said Embree.

After Embree told the callers she would contact Vanessa’s mother, the young woman begged her not to, saying she didn’t want her mother to know.

Embree was scammed out of almost $2,000 in wire transfers.

“I felt devastated, like a walking zombie,” she explained, close to tears.

“I’m retired now, you get your old age pension and money doesn’t grow on trees,” Embree explained.

Saskatoon police say there have been dozens of elderly victims of crime over the past few months. In the past week, two local grandparents were reportedly scammed out of thousands of dollars.

Sgt. Brian Trainor spent 27 years with the Saskatoon Police Service. After examining countless cases of fraud against seniors, his mission is to prevent such abuse.

“Something like this can be so traumatic it can lead to depression, it can lead to anxiety issues, ” he said.

“Grandparents of course want to have a tremendous relationship with their grandkids, but these scammers know this, and that’s what they play on.”

Trainor said there is one major, tell-tale sign that the person is a fraudster.

“If they say ‘wire me money’, it’s a scam, guaranteed it’s a scam,” he said.

Although tracking the transfers can be difficult, police continue to search for the perpetrators.