Phone scammers posing as victim services employees, Burnaby RCMP warn

A B.C. grandmother lost thousands of dollars in a phone scam.

The Burnaby RCMP are warning the public of a phone scam after a fraudster posing as a victim services employee from the force contacted a man in his 80s last week.

The man had fallen pray to a “grandparent scam” last summer, police said in a statement issued Wednesday. Also known as an “emergency scam,” this ruse involves a person posing as a senior’s loved one asking for financial help, usually for legal trouble.

Last week, the senior received a call from a woman claiming to be a victim services employee who said she could help him get his money back.

The scammer gave him the real victim services phone number as a callback number, but when she could not provide any identification the victim “realized it was a scam” and called the police, the Burnaby RCMP's statement explained.

It’s not uncommon for victims of fraud to become a target more than once, the police force writes. “It’s disgusting to see a scammer posing as a victim services employee while trying to defraud this senior for a second time,” Cpl. Mike Kalanj says in the statement. 

“Burnaby RCMP victim services offers emotional support, assistance, and referrals to people impacted by crime and trauma. Victim services employees will never ask for money or offer to assist victims in recovering lost money,” Kalanj continues.

If you receive a suspicious phone call from someone who claims to work for the Burnaby RCMP, including victim services, or a government agency demanding money, the police recommend the following:

• Hang up and do not provide any information to the caller

• Do not send money to the caller

• In the case of a “grandparent scam,” call your family members right away, especially the family member in question

• Report this information to the Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501