Vancouver police warn of bail money scam

Police in Vancouver are out with another warning about scams in the city, this time with people asking for bail money.

Vancouver Police Department says in 2022, 56 people lost more than $700,000 combined after scammers had convinced their victims to hand over money.

According to police, this week an 87-year-old was “tricked” into sending $3,500 to someone via courier, after the scammer pretended to be her grandson and claimed to be in jail.

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“We managed to intercept the package before it arrived, but many others haven’t been so lucky,” Vancouver police said on their Twitter account.

According to the VPD, last summer $123,468 was lost to scammers in one day — the biggest loss of the year.

Last year alone, 56 victims lost more than $700,000 combined in Vancouver after scammers convinced them to hand over cash for bail money. If someone claiming to be police or a family member phones asking for bail money, it’s a scam. Call police immediately. pic.twitter.com/MoqQzGOrmr

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) January 26, 2023

In a map posted online, VPD suggests scammers are targeting mostly the West Side of Vancouver, along with South Vancouver.

“If someone claiming to be police or a family member phones asking for bail money, it’s a scam. Call police immediately,” the police service says.