VPD to host scam prevention workshops for seniors

A cell phone is shown held by a senior citizen. The screen shows text messages being used to scam the woman.
(CityNews Image)

By Pippa Norman

Posted February 27, 2024 10:23 pm.

The Vancouver Police Department is hosting a free workshop for seniors on Wednesday, all about scam prevention.

Phone scams, bail money scams, distraction thefts and cybercrime will all be covered in the educational session, police say.

The event will be held at Broadway Lodge on Lamey Mill’s Road in Vancouver between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. It’s one in a series of workshops meant to protect seniors from the risks of being scammed.

This comes after police say another another senior in Vancouver was targeted by a scam on Sunday. Luckily, police say a family member recognized it as a bail money scam and hung up on the fraudster. In April, a senior in Burnaby lost $7.5 million in a cryptocurrency scam and in June, Richmond RCMP warned of a new “grandparent scam” using AI.

Future workshops will be held at least once a month until June, with the next one hosted at the Tonari GUMI Japanese Community Volunteers Association in Vancouver in March.

A session in Punjabi will also be held at the Ross Street Gurdwara in April.

Police say free food and drink will be available at all events.

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