Calgary seniors have lost thousands to grandparent scams in 2024: police
Posted May 23, 2024 11:02 am.
Last Updated May 23, 2024 7:52 pm.
Calgary seniors have lost tens of thousands of dollars in grandparent scams since the beginning of 2024, Calgary police say.
Since January, there have been 32 reported incidents, including 21 incidents where at least $180,000 was lost.
Police say in nine of those incidents, victims realized they were being scammed. In two other cases, investigators don’t know if any money was lost because the crime was reported by a third party.
In the reported incidents, suspects call potential victims pretending to be a loved one claiming they’ve been arrested and are in urgent need of money, according to police. They then ask for cash for bail, often in the amount of thousands of dollars.
Victims are then told by scammers to transfer money via e-transfer or in-person through a fake ‘bond collector,’ where victims are then threatened with a fake gag ordered, leaving them feeling pressured to remain quiet.
WATCH: Calgary senior hands over thousands to fake bond collector
Police explain that in most of these instance, suspects are impersonating law enforcement and lawyers.
Investigators say Calgary Police Service (CPS) officers and other law enforcement officers aren’t involved in collecting bail money from people over the phone.
“These scammers are clever in gaining personal information from a number of methods to make their story sound convincing while preying on seniors’ generosity, trustworthiness and desire to help their loved ones,” Acting Sgt. Craig Stothard said in a statement. “We’re encouraging anyone who has been a victim to report the incident to police or to a trusted family member or friend immediately.”
Police are asking the public to have conversations with the seniors in their lives about the grandparent scam and remind them to never give money to people who contact them over the phone.
Anyone with information about the grandparent scam is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or tip anonymously through CrimeStoppers.
