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Emergency grandparent scam
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Members from the East Algoma OPP would like to remind everyone that you have to do your homework prior to giving any personal information, money or sending prepaid ITunes cards to anyone. Every year thousands of Canadians are victimized and millions of dollars are lost through many forms of fraud.
Emergency/grandparent scam
In a typical “emergency” scam, the victim receives a phone call or e-mail from someone claiming to be a friend or relative, like a grandchild in distress. The caller or e-mailer goes on to indicate that they are in some kind of trouble, such as being in a car crash, they need money for bail, or they are having trouble returning from a foreign country. The fraudster specifically asks that the victims not to tell other relatives. The victim may get a call from two people, one pretending to be their grandchild and the other pretending to be either a police officer or a lawyer. The “grandchild” asks questions during the call, getting victims to volunteer personal information. Victims (often seniors) generally don’t verify the story until after their money has been sent or they have provided access to…