B.C. grandmother loses thousands of dollars to crook in latest scam
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Tornadoes collapse buildings and level homes in Nebraska and Iowa
Tornadoes wreaked havoc Friday in the Midwest, causing a building to collapse with dozens of people inside and destroying and damaging hundreds of homes, many around Omaha, Neb.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.