B.C. grandmother loses thousands of dollars to crook in latest scam

COQUITLAM, B.C. -

An 87-year-old Metro Vancouver woman was so convinced that the man on the other end of the phone was an attorney, she gave him $10,000.

During the telephone call on Aug. 8, the man told the Coquitlam senior that her granddaughter had been in a car crash, and that drugs had been found in the trunk.

He said he could get her grandchild out of jail, but only if she paid him thousands of dollars right away.

“There was no car accident,” said Coquitlam RCMP Const. Deanna Law. “These calls from these scammers are made to seem urgent and authentic.”

Mounties tell CTV News the victim is a smart, savvy senior who often gets calls from crooks and doesn’t fall for them.

But this thief was so convincing, she genuinely thought her granddaughter was in trouble.

“We need the public to understand that you will never have a police officer, or a bank, or a Canada Revenue agent call you and demand money to have someone released from police custody. It would never happen,” said Cst. Law.

The 87-year-old may never see her money again, but Mounties believe they’ve made a significant break in the case.

When the money was exchanged in public, surveillance cameras likely caught an image of the suspect.