Nearly $60K lost to 'bail money' scams targeting seniors this week, Vancouver police warn
Nearly $60K lost to 'bail money' scams targeting seniors this week, Vancouver police warn
Canadian cash is shown: (iStock)
A rise in "bail money" scams targeting seniors has prompted warnings from police in both Vancouver and Port Moody this week.
The Vancouver Police Department took to Twitter to sound the alarm after it says a total of $57,000 was lost to these types of scams since Monday.
In an email to CTV News, Const. Tania Visintin says officers responded to nine incidents across the city this week and that the suspect description is different in each file.
"We really want to get the message out," she says. "We know a lot of seniors aren't on social media, so we are hoping people speak to their parents or grandparents so we can prevent this."
According to the VPD, the scam — which tricks seniors into believing their grandchild or another family member is in need of bail money — has become one of the top 10 scams in North America.
"Victims are losing between $8,000 and $15,000 each time they are targeted, with some victims defrauded multiple times," reads a tweet by the VPD.
"Scammers prey on seniors, counting on their love and concern for their grandchildren, or neices and nephews."
This scam is still making the rounds. Scammers prey on seniors, counting on their love and concern for their grandchildren, or nieces and nephews. #ScamAlertpic.twitter.com/FYx5ZJgYDO
Last week, an 87-year-old was tricked into sending $3,500 by courier to an individual pretending to be her grandson and claiming to be in jail.
Fortunately in that case, Vancouver police were able to intercept the package, and return the money to the victim.
The Port Moody Police Department also posted a warning on social media this week after it says it's seeing a resurgence of bail money scams.
Among the frauds we have investigated recently, we have seen the resurfacing of “bail scams” targeting the elderly community. A local senior nearly lost $9k to the scam yesterday.
This is a great reminder to chat w/ your loved ones as police will not call asking for bail money.
Const. Sam Zacharias tells CTV News that the warning comes after a senior was almost scammed out of $9,000 on Wednesday.
"(The victim) had received a call from a person asking for cash to bail out his grandson, who he claimed was in custody for a drug-related offence," he says.
When the senior went to his bank to take out the money, the bank teller flagged the withdrawal and stopped him. He then contacted his family, who confirmed his grandson was safe.
"These scams are very sophisticated. They may call a victim in a very emotional state — catching the victim off guard — sometimes even using the real name of their grandchild. Then they typically transfer the phone to someone claiming to be a police officer or a lawyer," Zacharias says, adding that police will never call anyone asking for money.
Anyone who receives a call like this is asked to hang up and report it to their local police immediately.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the vote later today on the Conservative motion calling for a new study into foreign interference will not be a confidence vote.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has just released a new report and its alarming conclusions are a must-read for anyone who cares about what kind of planet we’re going to leave to our kids, writes former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair.
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and to mark the occasion a Canadian organization launched a campaign showcasing older people living with the condition.
A new report that looks at the prevalence of marketing to children inside grocery stores and restaurants suggests regulation is needed to help reduce unhealthy food temptations.
Doctors, patients and advocates are uniting for a reminder to older British Columbians to request a free colon cancer screening test – as we mark National Colon Cancer Awareness month.
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
A Wheatland County sanctuary that cares for abandoned and surrendered farm animals faces an uncertain future after having a permit application to keep operating denied.
An Edmonton couple working to support first responders' mental health says the last few days have been very trying for local service members and their families.
A woman who lives across from the apartment where a 16-year-old shot and killed two Edmonton police constables has multiple bullet holes in her door, with a couple piercing her doorframe.
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
Rescuers have yet to recover any additional bodies from the wreck of a fire in Old Montreal last week. As of Tuesday morning, there were still six people missing. The body of one victim, a woman, was extracted on Sunday.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is scheduled to table the first budget of the Coalition Avenir Québec's second mandate this afternoon. Girard broke with tradition on Monday — instead of buying new shoes ahead of the budget, he announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City community centre.
Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Mixed reviews continue to roll in days after Experience Regina delivered new campaign slogans that lean into the double entendre of the capital city’s name.
Saskatchewan RCMP said themselves and Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) arrested and charged 138 motorists around the province under the criminal code for impaired driving in January and February.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
New Brunswick's finance minister is scheduled to table a provincial budget Tuesday as the government grapples with problems in health care and housing and the effects of a population surge.
About 10 people have been displaced and damage is estimated at $1-million after a fire in Aylmer on Monday. John Street in Aylmer, Ont. has reopened in both directions following a fire on Monday night.
An 81-year old property owner tells CTV News he’ll do the work himself without machinery, if that’s the method directed by city council. Three years after John McLeod demolished the historic barn on Halls Mill Road without a permit, a plan to remove the pile of wooden debris is taking shape.
The Old South Community Organization (OSCO) is expressing concern about city staff’s failure to consult with stakeholders before recommending that Thames Pool be decommissioned.
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial is set to begin on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
Canadian cash is shown: (iStock)
