Across the country, police and fraud prevention experts are warning Canadians to be vigilant with increasing reports of “grandparent scams” targeting seniors.
In 2021, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center received reports of 379 cases involving 115 victims with over $1.7 million in losses. But since the start of 2022, the center says there have been 674 cases involving 273 victims and resulting in $2.7 million in losses.
“We’re looking at almost double the number of reports and we’re just over the halfway point of the year. So it’s very concerning,” Jeff Horncastle, acting customer and communications officer at the center, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview Friday.
Police Canada and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center say these scams, also known as emergency scams, usually involve a fraudster posing as the victim’s grandson, nephew or niece over the phone, claiming to urgently need money after an arrest or an accident.
“Scammers will do a lot of social media research,” Horncastle said. “There is so much information available online that in many cases suspects can actually get a grandchild’s name when they call.”
Police in Canada say the scammer will often sound distressed and start crying. The scammer may then change their voice or pass the phone to another scammer to pose as a police officer, bail bondsman or lawyer as part of the operation.
Horncastle says payment is usually required in cash, although scammers may sometimes ask for a wire transfer or direct deposit payment. If the victim agrees to pay, Horncastle explains, the scammer will usually arrange for someone to come to the victim’s home to collect the money, but may also ask for the money to be mailed.
In the Vancouver area, an 80-year-old man lost $16,000 last week, while a 76-year-old woman ended up losing her life savings of $30,000 in a separate incident.
Winnipeg police said Thursday there have been at least 15 reports of grandparent scams in the last six days, resulting in losses of $100,000.
Similar scams have also targeted victims in Ontario, from Sault Ste. Marie to Essex County. Last week, Ottawa police said they had received reports from 20 people in the previous seven days who had been defrauded of $10,000 to $30,000. In March, Toronto police reported that 80 seniors had been defrauded out of a total of $1.1 million since March 2021.
HOW TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES
If you get a suspicious-sounding phone call from someone claiming to be a family member, Horncastle says you should hang up and contact that family member “directly at the number you have for them.”
The same advice applies if the caller claims to be a law enforcement officer. Horncastle says you should hang up and call your local police to verify the legitimacy of the call.
“A lot of times if you listen to your instinct, that voice in your head that tells you it doesn’t sound right, usually that instinct is right,” he said.
Even if the number displayed on caller ID appears accurate, Horncastle warns that scammers can use caller ID spoofing to make the call appear to be coming from a legitimate police phone number.
“It’s always better to make the outgoing call yourself,” he said.
Police in Canada are also urging Canadians to warn their elderly loved ones to be on the lookout for these scams.
“It’s important to have these conversations, whether it’s your parents, grandparents. If it is someone who is close to you, who is an elderly person, who may not be immediate family, please have that conversation with them,” Const. Jay Murray of the Winnipeg Police Service said during a press conference Thursday.
Police agencies also point out that unlike the United States, Canada does not have a cash bail system and instead relies on sureties, meaning no cash advance is required for a person to be released on bail from custody.
If you believe you are or have been a victim of fraud, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center says you should contact your local police and call the center at 1-888-495-8501 or file a report through the federal fraud reporting.
With files from CTV News Winnipeg, CTV News Vancouver, CTV News Ottawa, CTV News Toronto and CTV News Northern Ontario.
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