Nearing the end of Fraud Prevention Month, OPP continue to warn residents of the “Grandparent Scam” which has made it rounds locally and scamming seniors out of thousands of dollars.
Last year was a record for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre with around $530 million being lost across the country.
This is a leap of over 40 per cent when compared to 2021.
Constable Lisa Cruz says among the most popular is the “Grandparent Scam”
“They use a sense of urgency and manipulation of emotions of seniors to essentially get them to send money” said Cruz.
Grandparent scams typically follow the same pattern of cold calling someone claiming to be a family member or grandchild and convinces the victim they are in legal trouble or having a medical emergency and are in need of money, giving the victim instructions on how the funds should be sent.
Scams often use different methods of transferring cash, large amounts of gift cards or cryptocurrency.
