A South Huron resident is out $40,000 after falling victim to the “Grandparent Scam.”
On March 20th, Huron County OPP were contacted by an elderly resident who said they lost $40,000 in the first week of March.
The victim told police they had received a call from someone saying they were an RCMP officer and had their grandson in custody following a collision where drugs and a gun were seized.
The scammer told the victim $8000 in cash was needed to be sent by courier to have them released on bail.
After sending the money, the victim was contacted again requested an additional $32,000 for their grandson to be released from jail. The money was sent by wire transfer.
OPP offer up various tips to avoid being the victim of a scam
- Don’t give out your personal information (name, address, DOB, SIN, banking credentials).
- Don’t accept friend requests from people you do not know.
- Don’t invest your money in platforms provided by people you don’t know.
- Be careful who you share images with. Suspects will often use explicit pictures to extort victims into sending more money.
- Protect your online accounts.
- Never send money to someone you haven’t met.
- Don’t respond to text messages from phone numbers you do not recognize.
- Learn more tips and tricks for protecting yourself.
