‘Grandparent scam’ tricks West Vancouver senior out of $5,000
Posted January 26, 2022 12:02 pm.
Last Updated January 26, 2022 12:04 pm.
West Vancouver Police are warning about a “Grandparent Scam” after a fraudster tricked a senior out of thousands of dollars.
A local man told police that last week he received a call from someone claiming to be his grandson and saying he was arrested and needed bail money.
The fraudster then handed the phone to another man who claimed to be the grandson’s lawyer.
The pair successfully convinced the senior into withdrawing $5,000 from his bank.
The senior received another call saying someone would come by his home to collect the money.
Within minutes, someone showed up at the man’s house and took the cash.
“What’s concerning about this incident in particular, is that the fraudster attended the victims’ residence to collect the money,” Cst. Kevin Goodmurphy says. “Typically, victims are asked to send the money via an online transaction, with no in-person meeting … This tells us that they are becoming quite brazen in their approach.”
Police are now out with a warning for seniors.
“This is extremely unfortunate,” Goodmurphy adds. “Seniors are often targeted by scammers who do their best to confuse the victim and exploit their vulnerabilities in an effort to steal their money.”
The suspect who visited the senior’s home is described as a man in his late 20’s, about 5’9″ tall, with a slim build. He has dark brown medium-length hair, and was wearing dark clothing and glasses.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the West Vancouver Police at 604-925-7300 (File 22-636). If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit solvecrime.ca.
If you receive a phone call from someone who claims to be a relative in distress and urgently in need of money, police encourage you to hang up and call your relative back.
