A ‘grandparent scam’ aims to scare a grandparent into thinking their grandchild is in trouble.
The BC RCMP federal policing prevention and engagement team says seniors are increasingly being targeted by sophisticated and evolving frauds and scams.
“Based on recent reports from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and a rise in financial crime complaints to police, it’s evident that criminals continue targeting B.C. seniors through several forms of scams,” RCMP wrote in a May 17 statement.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported in 2021 it received 106,875 reports of fraud and is on pace for a similar figure in 2020 (29,294 to April 30). However, while in 2021 $380 million was lost in reported fraud cases, to April 30, 2022 $163.9 million has been lost (which is an annual pace of $491.7 million).
And much of the money is never recovered; in 2021, just $3.35 million was recovered with the centre’s assistance.
The RCMP team has identified, via the statement, four types of scams that are presented to seniors in various forms. The scams may seek money immediately or personal information in order to conduct an even greater fraud.
Emergency or grandparent scam
In this scam, suspects contact seniors, claiming that their family member or grandchild was involved in an incident, or criminally charged with an offence, and that a fee or fine would be required for the release of the family member.
Extortion scam
This scam often uses recorded messages where the…
