West Vancouver senior helps police catch alleged bail scammer who demanded $15K

A West Vancouver Police Department cap is shown in this 2018 image.

Police in West Vancouver say a local senior and her son helped them foil a would-be scammer this week.

The 84-year-old woman received a call on Monday, Feb. 14, from someone identifying himself as a police officer and alleging that the woman's friend had been arrested and needed $15,000 for bail, according to a news release from the West Vancouver Police Department.

The scammer said he would pick up the money at the woman's house the following day, police said.

The intended victim told her son about the call, and he called the WVPD.

Police worked with the woman and her son to arrange a meeting with the suspect to pick up the money. Shortly after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15, officers arrested a 31-year-old man from Vancouver in West Vancouver's Caulfeild neighbourhood.

The suspect has since been released, pending a report to the B.C. Prosecution Service recommending charges, police said.

“This woman did absolutely the right thing by telling her son about the strange phone call,” said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy, spokesperson for the WVPD, in the release.

“Rest assured that our investigators will do everything they can to ensure this man is held accountable for his despicable actions. Preying on vulnerable seniors in our community will not be tolerated.”

The scam foiled in West Vancouver this week was far from the first such incident to take place in Metro Vancouver this year.

Police agencies across the region have reported variations on the bail scam since January, with Surrey RCMP reporting more than $100,000 in losses in their jurisdiction during that month. 

In West Vancouver, an 82-year-old man lost $5,000 to a bail scammer who claimed to be his grandson on Jan. 20. 

Police in Vancouver and Delta also reported instances of the scam last month, with victims losing tens of thousands of dollars.