Fraudsters ‘bailed on their scheme and hung up when the skeptical senior challenged their story,’ police say
An elderly Innisfil woman asked the right questions and avoided falling victim to a grandparent scam Thursday.
At about 11:30 a.m., the 73-year-old woman received a call from someone posing as her grandson, saying he needed bail money and that his case was under a gag order. The woman also got a call from someone pretending to be her grandson’s lawyer.
“The scammers bailed on their scheme and hung up when the skeptical senior challenged their story,” the South Simcoe Police Service stated in a news release. “No money was exchanged and a quick call from grandma to grandson confirmed he was fine. The senior in this incident was aware of this type of fraud, which helped prevent her from becoming a victim.”
Police encourage others to follow her lead and be aware of attempted scams.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has provided the following tips:
- If you receive a phone call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation, hang up and contact the family member directly using a phone number you already have, not one provided by the suspected fraudster
- If the caller claims to be a law enforcement official, hang up and call your local police directly, using a phone number from a reputable source, not one provided by the suspected fraudster
- Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately act and request money for a family member in distress
- Listen to that inner voice that is screaming at you, “This doesn’t sound right”
- It is important to know the Canadian criminal justice system does not allow for someone to be bailed out of jail with cash or cryptocurrency
- Be careful what you post online, as scammers can get details you shared on social media platforms and dating sites to target you or get names and details about your loved ones
- Don’t trust caller ID names and numbers, as scammers use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from and can make it appear as a trusted phone number, also known as spoofing
Fraud, and fraud attempts, should be reported to police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre here.
