Manitoba senior loses more than $7K in 'grandparent scam': Portage la Prairie RCMP
87-year-old got call from person claiming to be grandson and in need of money after accident, police say
An elderly woman from Manitoba has lost thousands of dollars after she was targeted in what's commonly referred to as a "grandparent scam," in which a fraudster calls an older person and claims to be a relative in legal trouble and in immediate need of money, Portage la Prairie RCMP say.
The 87 year-old woman got a call around 6:30 p.m. Friday from someone claiming to be her grandson, RCMP said in a Tuesday news release. He told her he'd hit a pregnant woman with his car and was being held in police custody.
The man then passed the phone to another person who claimed to be his lawyer, who told the senior to get money from the bank.
The man posing as her grandson's lawyer then came to her house to collect $7,200 in cash, and told her she had to keep the matter confidential, according to police.
When the woman didn't hear back from her grandson she called the number given to her by the scammers, but there was no answer. She then phoned her family and learned that her actual grandson was safe and sound at work, and she had been targeted by fraudsters.
"This is absolutely devastating for this victim … [who] truly believed she was helping her grandson," Insp. Paul Peddle, the officer in charge of Portage la Prairie RCMP, said in Tuesday's news release.
He said the information the scammers gave the woman about the alleged crime "was very specific."
"The fact that they had the audacity to pretend to be her grandson shows the lengths these criminals are willing to go to scam people out of their money," he said.
Police want the public to know bail is never collected in cash in Canada, and they advise anyone who receives similar phone calls to contact their relatives to confirm details before handing over any money.
The person who went to the senior's home is described as a man in his mid-20s with curly black hair, RCMP say. He was wearing a black long-sleeve vest-type jacket and dark pants.
Anyone with information is asked to contact RCMP at 204-857-4445 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or leave a tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.