‘Bail money’ scam dupes New West senior out of thousands of dollars

A New Westminster senior fell prey to a deceptive scam when a caller pretending to be the victim’s grandson asked for bail money.

According to police, the caller told the victim he had been arrested for having large amounts of cannabis in his car.

Someone then got on the line, pretending to be a police officer, and assured the woman that her grandson would be freed from jail if she put cash in an envelope, New Westminster Police Department says. The fake police officer instructed the woman that someone would meet her outside her home to pick up the bail money.

A different person then went to the senior’s home to collect the cash.

According to police, the scammers used techniques to coax information out of the victim. The scammer had initially exclaimed, “Hey grandma!” when she answered the phone. The victim responded with her grandchild’s name and the scammers later used this information to manipulate her.

NWPD Sgt. Justine Thom says it’s important to speak to family and friends about the incident and share the techniques that fraudsters use.

“It is despicable that criminals are using family bonds to manipulate seniors out of thousands of dollars,” Thom said.

“Knowledge is power and we need more people to know about the scams.”

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Police are still collecting evidence and trying to identify the suspect who met with the victim.

The suspect who collected the money from the victim’s residence is described as a woman in her early 20s with light purple wavy shoulder-length hair, a faded charcoal sweatshirt, patterned leggings, and pink crocs, and stands at 5’4″ tall.

Anyone with information can reach out to the New Westminster Police Department at 604-525-5411 and reference file 22-18829.