80-year-old nearly scammed out of $16,000; West Vancouver police announce arrest
A man was arrested in West Vancouver this week after an 80-year-old was nearly scammed out of thousands of dollars.
West Vancouver police say the senior and his wife were almost victims of the "grandparent scam," when a fraudster called the couple on Tuesday claiming his name was "Officer Baker" and he'd arrested their grandson.
During the call, the fraudster gave the phone over to another man who claimed to be the grandson. Together, they allegedly convinced the couple to withdraw $16,000.
"Seniors are often targeted by scammers who do their best to confuse the victim," said Const. Nicole Braithwaite in a news release. "These fraudsters are very convincing and prey on the vulnerability of elderly individuals."
Police said the victims were called again and informed someone would come to their home to collect the money. But when a man arrived at their house, he didn't have any police identification, so the couple became suspicious and didn't hand the money over.
Investigators said the man told the couple "Officer Baker" would come to the house with ID.
The couple, who were still with the suspect, waved down West Vancouver police officers who happened to be in the area on an unrelated call. A 26-year-old Richmond man was arrested and the West Vancouver Police Department is requesting a charge of fraud over $5,000.
"These types of frauds are extremely upsetting, and some people are too embarrassed to report it, but please report it. These reports might lead to other arrests," Braithwaite said.
"If you have elderly parents, please talk to them about scams like this one."
Anyone who receives a call like this one is told to hang up the phone and call a trusted family member right away. Police said they'll never call asking for bail money.
Anyone with information about this week's incident is asked to call the WVPD at 604-925-7300.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Thousands of civilians evacuated from northeast Ukraine as Russia presses renewed border assault
Thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar fire, officials said Sunday.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.