Police warn of an increase in grandparent scam

The Calgary Police Service is warning the public about an increase in grandparent scams targeting local seniors.

As of January 2024, there has been approximately 32 reported incidents including 21 incidents where a total of approximately $180,000 was lost. In nine reported incidents, victims realized they were being scammed. In the remaining two incidents, it is unknown if money was lost as it was reported by a third-party.

In the reported incidents, suspects call potential victims pretending to be a loved one claiming they have been arrested and are in urgent need of money. They then request cash for bail, often times the amount is for thousands of dollars.

Victims are then directed to transfer funds via e-transfer or in-person through a phony ‘bond collector,’ where victims are then threatened with a false gag order, leaving them feeling pressured to remain silent.

In most of these instances, suspects are impersonating law enforcement officers and lawyers. It is important to note that Calgary Police Service officers, and other law enforcement officers, are not involved in collecting bail money from citizens over the phone.

“These scammers are clever in gaining personal information from a number of methods to make their story sound convincing while preying on seniors’ generosity, trustworthiness and desire to help their loved ones,” says Acting Sergeant Craig Stothard of the Calgary Police Service. “We’re encouraging anyone who has been a victim to report the incident to police or to a trusted family member or friend immediately.”

We are sharing CCTV footage of a victim who lost thousands of dollars. We are asking the public to have a conversation with seniors in their life about the grandparent scam and remind them to never give money to individuals who contact them over the phone.

Information on how seniors can protect themselves, along with a description of the grandparent scam, is available on the Calgary Police Service website. If in doubt, verify the story you are being told by contacting the alleged family member directly or a third-party family member to help.

Anyone with information about the grandparent scam is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously through any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org

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