This grandparent too sharp to fall for grandparent scam

Attention grandparents: When in doubt, do what this senior did.

The OPP says a Blind River grandparent saved themselves from falling victim to the now-infamous “grandparent scam” by doing the simplest thing: contacting police.

In a news release, the East Algoma OPP detachment says the unnamed grandparent received a phone call on the morning of Jan. 23. The person on the other end identified themselves as a cop — and even provided a name, badge and phone number.

The fake officer told the person their grandson had been involved in a car accident and was going to be held in jail overnight — unless $10,000 was paid to release him.

Police say when the grandparent asked to speak to their grandson, they were told he “had contracted COVID, his voice had changed and hadn’t returned to normal.”

“After speaking to the phony grandson, another scammer came on the phone and set up a location to drop off the money at [a] local courier service in the Town of Garson,” the news release continues. “The scammer instructed the grandparent to put $10,000 in [a] courier bag and place a magazine with cardboard and other papers amongst the cash. The complainant was also advised not to contact anybody and if they did, they could be in trouble for divulging this information.”

The grandparent was driving to Garson for the drop-off that afternoon when they became “suspicious” and decided to stop at the Espanola OPP detachment on Highway 17. They “spoke to an officer who advised the grandparent that this was a scam,” the release states.

Fraud averted.

Since Jan. 1, the East Algoma OPP says it has responded to 13 fraud/scam-related occurrences in which victims have lost more than $19,000. The frauds involved bitcoin, cryptocurrency, business, financial scams and this grandparent scam.

The news release includes warning signs people should watch for to avoid getting scammed. Below is that portion of the news release:

• If you receive a suspicious phone call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation, hang up the phone and contact them directly on the number you have in your contact list
• If the caller claims to be a law enforcement official and asked you to pay a fine or bail, hang up and call your police directly
• Listen to that inner voice that is screaming at you: "This doesn't sound right".
• Be careful what you post online. Scammers can use details shared on social media platforms and dating sites for targeting purposes. Suspects can easily gather names and details about your loved ones
• Be suspicious of telephone calls that require you to immediately take action and request bail money for a family member in distress
• Be careful with caller ID numbers that look familiar. Scammers use technology to disguise the actual number they are calling from (spoof) and make it appear as a trusted phone number
• If you receive an email or text message claiming to be from a friend or loved one asking for money, make the outgoing call to the person by looking up the legitimate phone number you have for them in your contact list.
• Use unique and strong passwords for all social media and email accounts.

Remember, any legitimate agency will never request a payment by wire transfer, online currency such as bitcoin, pre-paid credit cards or pre-paid gift cards such as Google Play, iTunes, Vanilla, etc. Scammers will ask to purchase large denomination gift cards as [a] form of payment. Also, they will ask to send cash, but hidden inside pages of a book, then box the book and wrap it in an excessive amount of packing tape.

Awareness is key when it comes to recognizing frauds and scams. There are so many types out there but the better educated you are, the less chance you have to fall victim to these ruthless scammers.

Don't keep it a secret — talk to a friend, family member, neighbour, or police before making any decisions to send money to people you don't know.

If you think you're a victim of fraud, report it to the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or your local police service.

The Canadian Anti Fraud Centre collects information on frauds and identity theft. They provide information on past and current scams affecting Canadians. For more information call 1-888-495- 8501 or visit online.