Kelowna police seek suspect in ‘grandparent scam’

Police in Kelowna are looking for a woman involved in a recent scam targeting the elderly.

Mounties say an elderly woman got a call from someone who identified themselves as “Sgt. Ashley Olsen” and said the woman’s grandson had been arrested in a police incident. The caller then asked the senior for money to pay a bond immediately.

The senior then followed directions to withdraw a large sum of money that would be collected and refunded within 24 hours.

“The caller stated this was being done ‘for her convenience’ toned with a sense of urgency,” police state.

Around 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 9, a female suspect then met with the senior in her building’s front lobby to collect the bond money.

A few hours later, the senior received another call asking for more money to release her grandson from custody and with more details of his arrest.

However, a bank employee managed to recognize the senior was being scammed and stopped her from withdrawing any more money.

The woman police are looking for is being described as between 23 and 30-years-old, with long, dark hair and strong eyebrows, and wearing black leggings, black boots and a denim coloured shirt.

As this type of fraud remains rampant, police are encouraging the public to be vigilant and reach out to family immediately if someone calls them making claims about them.

Police say all attempted frauds should be reported to the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre at 1-800-495-8501.