Prince George RCMP is cautioning the public to be alert to a type of fraud that is on the rise once again in Prince George, known as the “Grandparent Scam”.
This scam typically targets senior citizens, who receive calls from someone stating they are the person’s grandson, son or nephew, and that they were in a motor vehicle accident. They go on to say that they were arrested, went to court and are at the Prince George RCMP detachment. The call is then transferred to someone stating they are a lawyer, and that the relative needs between $5000- $10,000 to be let out of jail. Sometimes the “lawyer” says a bail bondsman will be by the house to collect the money.
“We are cautioning people to be wary of this scam as it seems so real. Before you transfer any money to a “lawyer” or “bail bondsman”, we ask that you stop and make enquiries with your relatives to verify if the information is true. If you have older relatives or neighbours, make sure to have a discussion with them, warning them that this is a scam and helping them to know what to do if they get a call like this. Seniors are heavily targeted by this and many other types of fraudulent phone calls and messages and are often pressured to act quickly in order to help,” states Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, Media Relations Officer for the Prince George RCMP.
If you receive a call similar to this one, before you head to the bank and take out the money, police suggest you call a second person to ask their opinion on whether or not this could be true, or call that relative directly to make sure they are ok.
Be sure to report scam phone calls like this to the Prince George RCMP’s non-emergency line at 250- 561-3300 as well as to the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre at Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca) or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
