Mounties in Kelowna helped prevent an elderly Kelowna couple from falling victim to the prevalent grandparent scam and want to warn others.
On Nov. 21, a concerned couple in their 70s attended the Kelowna RCMP Detachment on Richter Street seeking police assistance in locating their grandson, according to Kelowna RCMP.
The elderly man and woman arrived at the detachment’s front counter with cash in hand, with intentions of posting bail for their grandson’s release from custody.
The elderly couple told police they had received a telephone call from their grandson who explained he had been involved in a bad car accident, that he suffered a broken nose and had since been arrested for impaired driving.
He further claimed to be detained at the courthouse and ask the couple to electronically transfer $1,000 which he needed for his bail money.
“It did not take long for the Kelowna Mountie, assigned to assist the elderly couple, to determine that their grandson was not in police custody and the couple were likely being targeted by a scammer,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. “Following our officer’s recommendations, the couple called and spoke to their real grandson, who thankfully confirmed he had not been involved in any crash. Fortunately, the man and woman did not lose any of their money.”
Victims of the grandparent scam or emergency scam typically fail to verify the story until after they have transferred the cash to the caller, according to Kelowna RCMP. Often times the fraudster, who seems frightened, will ask the victim not to tell other relatives.
For more information on the grandparent scam, emergency scam and many other common scams visit the Canadian anti-fraud centre website.
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