The RCMP advises there are active investigations throughout Alberta involving a group who has defrauded victims in multiple jurisdictions using the grandparent scam.
A scammer contacts an elderly person and pretends to be a grandchild or a family member in some kind of trouble and in need of immediate financial assistance.
The typical scenario the scammer will tell the victim that they have been arrested and requires bail money, have been in a car accident, need money to cover hospital costs or are having trouble returning from a foreign country.
For verification, the elderly person is given a phone number to call, which will be answered by someone pretending to be a lawyer or a police officer.
The scammer will ask questions during the call, getting the victim to volunteer personal information.
The “grandchild or family member” will insist that the victim not contact their parents or relatives as they don’t want to get into more trouble.
The victim is then asked to use a money service business to send several thousands of dollars for bail.
There has been one instance in Fort Macleod where it is believed that the scammers were able to mimic the relative’s voice.
The RCMP offers the following tips to prevent falling victim to this scam:
- Police, judges, or legal entities will never request that money be sent through money services business.
- Don’t give out personal information to the caller.
- Confirm with other relatives the whereabouts of the family member or friend in question before even considering sending money.
- Never send money through money wire services to person you don’t know personally.
- Verify the person’s identity before you take any steps to help. The money can be picked up anywhere in the world once it is given a transaction number.
