Senior who gave $10,000 to pay bail for 'granddaughter' was researched on social media first: Vancouver police
A Vancouver senior who is one of several in the area to be preyed on by scammers this month had been researched online by those who targeted her.
According to police in the city, it appears the fraudster or fraudsters spend time going through the 73-year-old grandmother's social media posts, learning specific details so they could target her specifically.
The woman was then approached with a call by someone pretending to be her granddaughter. The scammer told the victim she was in jail, and needed $10,000 to pay her bail, the Vancouver Police Department said in a news release earlier this week.
The woman targeted in this latest incident, on Jan. 21, is one of more than a dozen seniors who lost money to these scams in a period of just 10 days this month.
The first report was filed Jan. 11.
All of these seniors were told that a loved one had been arrested and needed bail money. Many turned over thousands of dollars as a result.
Due to the sudden uptick in this particular scam, police are asking banks and other financial institutions to watch out for seniors making unusually large withdrawals.
"People who work at banks play a critical role in fraud prevention," Const. Tania Visintin said in a statement.
"They often know their elderly clients by name, know their routines, and are sometimes the first people to realize when something doesn't seem right."
Anyone who has been the victim of this or other scams, or has information about them, is asked to call police.
In one recent case, a suspicious senior called police when their scammer got in touch again asking for money. Officers were waiting at the senior's home when the person on the phone came to pick up the cash.
That case was in Delta. Similar scams have been reported in West Vancouver, and police in New Westminster and North Vancouver have issued warnings to the public that they, too, may be targeted.
The North Vancouver RCMP also published tips for what seniors should do if they think they're being targeted, including who to call to report it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.