At least 4 Manitoba seniors lose money to 'grandparent scams' in space of 1 week: RCMP

At least four Manitoba seniors have become recent victims of "grandparent scams," including one case where the person was driven to a bank by a fraudster to withdraw money and another where the scammer came to a senior's home, RCMP say. 

On Wednesday, Mounties got a report from a Portage la Prairie resident and another from a person in MacGregor, about 35 kilometres west of Portage, saying they had been contacted by an unknown man who claimed to be a lawyer.

In both cases, the caller gave the names of the victims' grandchildren, who the caller claimed were in jail and needed bail money. Both victims agreed to provide money.

In the Portage la Prairie case, a man came to the senior's home to collect the money. The MacGregor senior met the caller at a location on Hampton Street, Mounties said in a Friday news release.

RCMP said they received reports on Tuesday involving similar scams in Minnedosa — just over 100 kilometres northwest of Portage la Prairie — and Kleefeld, about 100 kilometres southeast of Portage. In both of those cases, the victims gave the caller a "significant amount" of money, police said.

And on Oct. 24, RCMP in East St. Paul, just northeast of Winnipeg, said a senior citizen there was also targeted by a similar scam. That person was picked up and driven to a bank by a fraudster who once again claimed a grandchild was in trouble.

The senior withdrew what police again said was a "significant" sum and gave it to the scammer.

RCMP said it's unknown whether any of the cases are related. 

Const. Larry Neufeld from the RCMP's Portage la Prairie detachment said the fact several of the cases involve in-person contact with the fraud artists "speaks to their ever-increasing confidence in carrying out these scams."

The perpetrators of grandparent scams typically use information from social media and other sites to deceive their victims, Neufeld said in the Friday news release.

RCMP said they are continuing to investigate and remind Manitobans they should never give money to an unknown person. They encourage anyone who thinks they were targeted by a scam to immediately report it to police.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also urges people to be suspicious of phone calls that require them to provide money to a family member in distress. They suggest hanging up and contacting that relative directly to determine whether they're being targeted by a scam.

RCMP are asking anyone with information about any of the latest scams to contact their local RCMP detachment. Anonymous tips can also be made through Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by visiting www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Victims of cyber crime or fraud can also contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.